


Urban Terror: Sunless, Corrupted Zootopia

by SarcasticChivalry



Series: Zoodystopia [1]
Category: Alternative Universe - Fandom, Fox - Fandom, Furry - Fandom, Zoodystopia, Zootopia, rabbit - Fandom
Genre: Conartist, Crime Fighting, Gen, White Collar Crimes, alternative universe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-22
Updated: 2016-07-08
Packaged: 2018-07-16 13:31:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 29,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7270207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SarcasticChivalry/pseuds/SarcasticChivalry
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a alternative universe, Judy Hopps must brave a socially split and dystopian society of Zootopia where the citizens are torn into Predators and Prey.  Predators are forced to wear collars that dictate how to feel based on social experiments by the City Council Members.</p><p>Teaming up with con artist Nick Wilde, Judy takes on a variety amount of cases as she tries to expose the corruption seeded in the ZPD and City Council.</p><p>But hey, let's take it easy. </p><p>One case at a time, one case at a time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. If I Can't Break The System

**Author's Note:**

> Dystopia London is the Premise of Zoodystopia, so the Zootopia city in this story is literally fiction Dystopian London, so characters may or may not have a accent.

Chapter One: If I Can't Break The System...  
{~}  
Zoodystopia  
{~}  
The patterns of clouds started to form when the train finally made it to the station, the ride was boring and uneventful, I couldn't care less about how this city looks. I'm no optimist, I'm a realist. I don't need a fancy introduction to my new home, I just wanted off the train and get into uniform. I wanted to start and make a name for myself.

I'm the first and only bunny to become a police officer, that in it's own regards is exceptionally great on my resume, but I graduated top of my class in the academy. I've already started making history when I got my badge, but I intend to do a hell of a lot more.

In the meantime, I'll be learning the city of Zootopia a little more than what the academic books tell. I took my bag, shoved my ticket to the attending subway stewart, and was the first to jump off the train onto the platform. The only direction was down, unless I intended to stay and meet up with strangers I don't know.

I made it to the stairway before a commotion caught my ears, I turned my head to find a hog security guard arguing with a what seemed to be a canine of some sort. The canine was dressed in slacks and suspenders and a collar... a collar... huh... anyways, he looked like he was getting off work at nine o-clock in the morning... even I found that somewhat suspicious before I heard what the security guard shouted.

“Okay that's it, Savage!” The security guard shouted, I wasn't sure of the local slang around here but I took it as a insult to the canine. “I'll make you a bloody mess!”

The canine seemed to seize when the large rectangle on his collar beeped a crimson red, the security guard took his baton and forcibly pulled the canine onto the platform. I turned around on my heels, ready to intervene before a arm barred me from doing so. 

“Eh... I wouldn't that if I were you,” The smooth spoken voice came from the arm's owner. I faced the arm's owner and it turned out to be a orange fox with a cream colored underfur. He was wearing a peculiarly-colored suit jacket, gray slacks, and turquoise blue dress shirt with the first two buttons undone. The fox had a collar too, it was shining a warning color of yellow. The fox had a grim, but emotionally detached look on his face. “I'm guessing you're new around here, you got a lot to learn.”

Before I could argue with this cowardly fox, the canine previously mentioned gave a heart-wrenching yelp of pain and fear before the loud buzz of electricity courses through his body. The canine didn't move after the seize, but still breathed.

I take that back.

The pig security guard had beat him to death with one swing of his shock baton, the bystanders only watched with suppressed pride and giddiness whilst the rest of the predators on the train remain seated and emotionless. The security guard simply wipes the blood and viscera off of his baton and holsters it, as if nothing has been done.

I turned to the Fox but he had disappeared as fast as the canine gave his last breath. A crowd of businessmen took the Fox's place, brushing and slipping in between me and the only space of the stairwell. It seemed unreal that such a event could take place and no one said anything about it, it made me sick to my stomach that homicide had just taken place and all I see in the witnesses' eyes is joy.

The canine's blood pool around his head.

I took notice that there were no predators disembarking the train after that incident, probably for good safety reasons.

I looked above me to see a sign that read “Herbivores Only”.  
{~}  
I took the idea that I should probably get out of here before I witness another death, I climbed down the stairs with haste and visited a very neatly placed waste bin to stick my head inside and make sick. I couldn't stomach how nonchalant it was, does it happen every other day to this city? Is it only predators that are murdered like this?

I took my head out of the trash bin and went into the nearby bathroom building to clean my head of trash in the sink. At least it was cleaner than the public bathrooms in Bunny Burrow, I have to change my attire now—spaghetti stains my favorite shirt and jeans now.

I duck into a shower stall—I was impressed when I saw it, Bunny Burrow didn't have shower stalls bathrooms... or was it because I'm near a beach—and unzipped my dufflebag. I dug under my uniform and uniform items to find my peacoat, slacks, white dress shirt, a dark magenta tie; it's formal wear.

“Damn...” I muttered under my breath, “I didn't pack any other clothes did I?”

I had no choice, I took my quick shower and put on my formal attire. On my way out, there were pamphlets on the city and it's locally nicknamed “Regions”. 

I took a quick look in the mirror and did a little pose, I looked good.  
{~}  
My new penthouse suit that I always dreamed of was but a childish fallacy when the goat showed me a one-bed apartment room that makes a cubicle look like a romantic getaway, I felt jealous of the homeless momentarily because living on the streets would definitely be cleaner than taking a nap in that crow's nest of a bed. 

I wasn't surprised, the correctly nicknamed “Urban Jungle” part of this region of Zootopia was always rundown and shoddy after the War., according to my landowner. I'm surprised that my new landowner hasn't cheated me out of my room with some scam or tried to feel me up yet, I heard a lot of stories where landowners in this town are apparent misogynists who use women for gain.

Those are just stories, those who leave Bunny Burrow and come here usually don't come back. I hope they aren't dead, but I don't care either. The pamphlets all tell what I don't need to know, like the best restaurants to eat at, directions to the spa; How about somewhere that has someone who gave a fraction of a fuck about what just happened?!

I shook the hoof of the goat, got my keys, and kicked him out. I needed a nap, even though it's 01000, I don't think I would be able to start my day after what I just witnessed a literal hour ago. I've always been a emotionally weak bag of carrots, but I've been preparing myself for the worst since picking up my first firearm at the academy.

I crawled onto my bed and stared at my ceiling, the cracks and stains and who-know-what giving me sort of a aesthetic of a deep thinker... or a cockroach but I don't like to be rude to my fellow insect species on this planet... if they do exist.

Man...

Death...

You always think you're prepared for it until it actually happens, the event that happened has never crossed my mind. The collars, the shock baton, the segregated platforms that we we're allowed to leave off of. 

What the hell happened to this city?

The stories told of Zootopia having a bad rep, yeah, but nothing brought up what I just bloody saw! Nothing could prepare me for that and I wonder if a security guard could do something as brutal and inhumane as that... then... what would the police officers do?

More importantly, why would anyone not speak up about this? The predators on the subway, even the cubs and kits, all acted as if nothing had taken place... it was that Fox who seemed to be fully aware of his surroundings and... kept together... the Fox has to know more than what these pamphlets told me.

I looked at my wrist and groaned, I spent thirty minutes brooding like a teenage bunny with raging self-esteem issues. I rolled out of bed and undressed, I got my uniform on and placed the badge on my chest. I went to my door and opened it to find a pair of animals moving next door... that was fast.

“Hi,” I greeted ethusiastically, hoping to make a first impression. “I'm Judy Hopps, your new nieghbor!”

“Yeah?” Rudely responded the Kudu, “Well we're loud.” 

“Don't expect us to apologize about it either,” Followed-up the Gemsbok.

I felt my eye twitch at them, but they were already inside their house before I could reply to either of them. I can keep my cool, my collection, and everything in-between like a good police officer. I am a police officer, and no animal can stop the ball on my first day on the job.

Technically, my first day is tomorrow, but I gotta show initiative if I expect anything from the Police Department. Who knows, maybe I'll get a job as first responder, or perhaps a member of the SWAT Team—

I slammed my fist onto their door, visibly shaking the door on it's hinges. I know my face is contorted with visible frustration, but I had to vent my anger before I let it brew in my chest like a poorly made beer.

The duo opened the door with eyes wide as saucers.

“Don't expect me to apologize for that,” I sneered with sass. “Twats.”  
{~}  
I made it to the ZPD after tons of harassment from the street urchins that reside on the cracked sidewalks of the Urban Jungle. Apparently, authority figures are not welcomed in poor residencies. Even though I have no interest in them, they seem to be the kind of delinquents who never know when to stop. 

I made my way into the building and immediately feel at home... if home felt like a police station full of arrested Predators and literally no prey in sight. Maybe it's a housing deal, Prey and Predators in one waiting room and the other in another waiting room perhaps? Like the segregated train platforms? Who knows.

Walking up to the reception desk I took a keen eye to the overweight, rather depressed looking cheetah officer stuffing his face with various of sweets. I assume this is the receptionist, I hope not because he looks like he couldn't sort out his life like a child can't sort out what toys they want to get rid of... even if he was being paid for it.

“Excuse me,” I cleared my voice, hoping to speak loud enough for the cheetah's attention. I don't know... he just... seems... slumped over. I thought I was looking at a rookie hazing prank before I saw the cheetah look up from his smartphone. The cheetah groaned miserably, as if someone had played a sick joke on him.

“Guys... please just leave me alone...” The cheetah almost moans, his collar beeping audibly. What are these collars and why is it just the predators wearing it, it doesn't... nevermind... let's do what I came here to do.

I hopped up on the counter and tap the Cheetah on his shoulder, gently. He flinched hard, but when he saw that I was showing a bit of compassion: he almost welled up in tears when his collar gave a loud whine and a small seize went through him. 

Jeez.

“Hello,” said the Cheetah with his face somewhat lifted, he looked like he was trying to hold his smile down. “My name is Clawhauser and I'm the Desk-Boy, the receptionist. You must be the new recruit!”

“I don't see any other bunny in a cop uniform,” I playfully retorted, which Clawhauser gave a snort and a small shock from the collar. “Oh god, what's with the collars?”

“We have to wear them,” Clawhauser said miserably. “They keep us from going cray-cray.”

“Right,” I decided to keep my mouth shut until I find that Fox and demand answers out of him, Clawhauser seems to be broken mentally and beyond repair of trying to answer what these shock collars are. “Anyways, Officer Hopps is reporting for duty.”

“Isn't your first day... uh...” Clawhauser rapidly types into the keyboard. “Tomorrow?”

“I wanted to start right away, mate,” I chirped with eagerness, hoping to see if even clocking in for no overtime would gain me points with the Commanding Officer of the ZPD. “I'm ready to clock in.”

“You won't be getting overtime, you realize that right?” Clawhauser inquired, I nodded. Clawhauser rapid types into the computer and finally he gave a thumbs up. “Well, Muster is about to begin. You better hurry up unless you wanna make the chief mad. Head into the last room on the far left.”

“No I don't, thanks Clawhauser!” I leaped off of the desk and sped down the corridors, dodging officers and criminals alike, I made it into the last room on the left. Like Clawhauser instructed, the door was closed so I opened it.

Inside was deadly quiet, no one spoke, breathed, or even dare to look towards me. The police officers inside all sat at a desk, while one stood tall in front of a chalkboard with a schedule on it. I felt very uncomfortable, as if I walked right into a cult seance room at the wrong time.

I took a couple tedious steps down the middle of the desks until the tall animal turned around menacingly, my heart racing would be an understatement on how bloody terrorized I was by the size of this guy. I peered over his uniform until I found his rank on his sleeve device, it was the bloody chief of the ZPD and I just interrupted whatever he was saying.

“What in the blazing tomfuckery is this?” The Chief snarled at me, I refused to back down, I kept my head high and my lungs full of air. The Chief spoke with bass, it echoed in the room until it died of the Doppler Effect. “Whose toy is this and why is it in a bloody uniform?!”

“Sir, I am no...” 

“Did I say you can speak, cottonball?!” The Chief leaned into my face, but I still refused to back down. “I was told I would be getting the finest recruit the Drill Sargent has ever seen in her years of living, but what the fuck are you?”

“Was that a question, sir?” I asked, balls to the walls with my sense of safety. I worked too hard for this and I'm not going to be demoralized by a walking brick wall with perhaps the sense of one.

“Yes it is, smartass,” The Chief sized me up.

“Officer Hopps, quoted to be the best recruit Drill Sarge has ever seen in her years of living,” I reply, sensing that I might get a quick right hook from The Chief until he gave a booming laugh. I'm very uncomfortable with this Chief, can I have a receipt and get another?

“I'm impressed,” The Chief chuckled, “Out of anyone of these maggots, you showed me you got balls of titanium and I respect that.”

“Thank you sir?” I blinked, unsure of what just happened.

“However, you're late to muster,” The Chief snarled again. “And that's a problem.”

“Won't happen ever again, sir,” I responded with a cool tone, trying to keep my heart from rocketing out of my chest and into orbit.

“I think punishment is in order,” The Chief leaned back and stood up tall. “Hopps, you're on Traffic Duty.”


	2. Then I'll Break The Law.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here we see how different a society can make a universe quiver like butter Jell-O.
> 
> Judy has to come with terms of a broken dream over a unfair society when she meets Con-Artist Nick Wilde.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dystopia London is the Premise of Zoodystopia, so the Zootopia city in this story is Dystopian London

Chapter 2: Then I'll Break The Law.

{~}

Zoodystopia

{~}

I sure have a knack for causing the citizens to hate me every time I even remotely come close to their vehicles now, it's been a week and I can already feel the grind of bureaucracy in the ZPD's very layered punishment cycle. Having to explain to angry civilians that they can't argue with the messenger and to talk to the ZPD is really making me want to put a bullet in my head.

I slouched in my vehicle, pounding my head onto the steer-wheel in absolute bottled up anger. I know exactly what Chief Bogo is doing, he wants me to resign because only the toughest of animals make it into the ZPD and if a bunny can join it then criminals will get bolder because they thing the ZPD has gone soft.

Today I have tripled the daily quota of tickets and pulled enough complaints on my badge number to get me suspended twelve times over, I was impressed I managed to make the entire city dread my orange vest and police hat.

I stopped banging my head on my vehicle to take my break and go on a walk, you know, like I thought I would do. My legally required breaks have to be at least thirty minutes, all I need to do is just stretch my legs and go for a walk and loosen up the tight valve in the steam-pipe that I call a hot head. I park my vehicle and cut the engine, I took the keys, and left the vehicle. Today was a nice summer day, perfect for a walk.

The summer sun didn't affect me directly, I lived in Bunny Burrow for Christ's sake! I continue on my legally acquired break until I find an entire line of... elephants... crossing the street... uh... what the bloody hell is going on here?

I go to the front of the line to find a ice cream parlor, I reckoned something must be a-muck and I enter the parlor at the expense of complaints of the people in line calling me a line cutter and a power-crazed... these guys are not nice at all.

“Please, it's like eighty bloody degrees outside!” A cockney accented, familiar voice is heard. I know where the voice is coming from, but I never know if I'll be able to see this parlor again. I went over to the stools and milkshake bar, adjacent to the voice. A gazelle was able to quickly appear in my view within seconds.

“G'morning Officer!” A quick look at her chest, aside from the perverse obvious, the Gazelle's name is Megan, not a typical name here. She has a slight accent I didn't understand, maybe she's not from Zootopia? I look all over the resturant. “Anytime y'all wanting to order, I'll be right here. It's on the house for Zootopia's finest!”

“Uh... a glass of strawberry-carrot milkshake?” I requested, wondering why I was getting such good service here when everyone else outside hates this uniform and me simultaneously. I don't know... I still don't know a lot about this town and it's history, even less about the collars and discrimination. “Small glass, I won't be here long.”

“Would you like it the way my Ma used to make my milkshakes, sugarcube?” Megan asked, winking at me. I assumed she meant alcohol and I nodded my head slightly, I haven't had alcohol save for champagne for New Years. Maybe it'll be okay. “One milkshake, extra small, comin' right up~”

Again that accent, was she flirting with me?

The ice cream parlor reminds me of television's diners, candy-striped decor and colors gave a sort of candy shop aesthetics. I looked at the employees and they are wearing 60's inspired attire that made me wonder if I can have a malt shake with a large dash of radiation poisoning and radioactive dust as a topping.

I got my shake and watched what was taking place, wondering what the story was.

“No means no!” The elephant adjacent to me gave a hard groan with his face turning red in anger.

“Aw, c'mon mate!” The Fox's voice hits home in my ears and I turn to the front of the line, I see the Fox with a little baby fox kit in a adorable elephant pajamas. The little fox kit had big ears and big pale eyes, but looked somewhat like the Fox save for eye color and ear height, typical for a female to have mother's traits... so that means the Fox is a father? “It's not for me, it's for my daughter. I can pay money-cash, double, triple if needed! All for a Jumbo Pop, sir.”

I noticed that he had a cockney accent, was he born in the Urban Jungle working district? The Fox is a father to a daughter, is he a single father? Did the mother depart from him, taking the kit and all? And he's just trying to get his daughter a treat from the hot summer sun?

“As I said,” The elephant employee groaned, pointing to the sign again. The sign had a outline of a canine... or fox... or big cat with a red circle and slash through it. “I will not serve Savages my delightful treats and tarnish this establishment's reputation.”

“That's just cold, mate,” The Fox gave a exasperated expression, much like I'd expect any parent. The little fox kit pulled up the hood to the pajamas and a little plastic toy into his mouth and blew as hard as her little lungs could. “I mean, just look at the little bugger! She wants to be an elephant, an elephant I say! Please show some compassion, for me daughter.”

“Okay, that's cute and all, right,” The elephant employee disdainfully retorted with a bored voice. “I don't think you understand, not like any of you can, I will not serve your kind regardless of age. Now leave the establishment before I call the cops.”

The ears on the little fox kit dropped, her head hung and he raced into The Fox's arms, crying and talking in babble that I don't understand but has the sound of a kit or cub being denied something. I... don't think this is right... nothing about this can be right... a father trying to get his fox kit something sweet from the sun...

I think watching that made my heart melt like molten copper, I'm a sobby mess when it comes to little kits and cubs in pajamas being exposed behind the blanket of security. They're just so precious, cubs and kits are, untouched by the evils of real life, and when they have to be subjected to this blatant racism... I can't stand it.

I down my shake and loudly placed it on the bar, getting all three of their attention.

“Oi, what seems to be the problem here?” I got up, putting my hat on straight and crossed my arms. “There's absolutely no reason for this conflict, it's eighty degrees and you got customers out in the bloody streets!”

“Reasonable explanation, officer,” The elephant started but was drowned out by the crying of the little fox kit. “I made it very clear to this Savage...”

“You will avoid using such language to me, sir,” I growled, slamming my fist onto his counter. The elephant flinched back, his eyes rising to the size of saucer plates. “You will address this gentleman and this young lady with respect, because calling anyone savages goes against Article 45-a as per your custodian license.”

“Er...” The elephant became tongue tied, and I knew I was on a roll because the Fox was impressed with me sticking up for him and his daughter. Mostly his daughter. “Okay, well, no proof that I ever said it, Officer.”

“Also, I don't see a collar on this young lady,” I say, leaning on the counter to the elephant. “Civil Child Laws says, all restrictions on personal health, cosmetics, and otherwise products to be consumed may not discriminate if purchase is for a minor under the age of five.”

“Officer, you're stickin' up for the enemy!” The elephant slammed his foot onto the counter and I pulled him by his snout sharply, making him face me. “O-officer, you're hurting me...”

“Now you listen here, you wrinkled duck faced runt,” I hissed, the Fox covered his daughter's ears. “Under the law, there is no enemy except for those who break it. I will destroy this business if you can't bother to sell a measly Jumbo Pop to a toddler. Forget the species. A toddler. You scumbag, ring this man up or I will wring you by your tusks on the fucking flagpole. Are we clear?”

“Y-yes officer...” The elephant whimpered, going to his register to ring up the Jumbo Pop for the Fox and his daughter. “T-that'll be twenty-four dollars and thirty cents...”

“Thank you, Officer,” The Fox showed his gratitude with a smile, the fox kit gave a trumpet blow through her costume.

“Call me Officer Judy,” I smiled, turning to leave and go back to my vehicle.

“Wait... oh bother... I don't have my wallet...” The Fox dug through his pockets, but the Elephant cleared his throat.

“It's o-on the house for the unsatisfactory quality of service,” The elephant stuttered, “H-here you go...”

{~}  
I felt good about myself today, I did good, I feel great. I felt like an actual police officer for once this entire week, this morning was very exotic. I got my quota done and I'm ready to go on patrolling around Zootopia until my shifts done, I got at least three hundred and ninety-nine tickets!

I heard a ding and I turned to see it was my own vehicle running the meter, I groan and take out my own ticket-book and wrote myself a fine for the meter. I'm a good cop, even if it drains my financial situation like a sinkhole in a ocean.

I did a follow up route when I saw the Fox and his little girl melting... the jumbo pop... together... I've seen stranger, lets be honest. It's a good way to relieve some heat related stress for the little fox kit, I guess. A little weird on the Fox's part because it looks really scummy to me that I stuck up for him and his daughter only for them to melt the jumbo pop and... bag it?

Right, now this what I hope it isn't I will strangle this Fox if he used his own daughter to scam a elephant out of a jumbo pop to go sell the juices to Tundra Town. I need to follow the Fox and his daughter because I will personally put the little kit in Child Protective Services while I get this scummy bastard five years in prison for a white collar crime.

I park my vehicle and quickly reach for the radio, I tell Clawhauser that I completed my quota four times over, I tell him I'm taking off for the night, and I am free because I hate this vehicle and if it gets towed: oh well.

I quickly duck into a bathroom, change into my formal attire and trailed Bonnie and Clyde all the way to Tundra Town where they did something... a lot more... economically troubling with the juices of the once Jumbo Pop. 

What it seemed like, the daughter's in on the scam more than the father apparently wanted because the daughter eagerly volunteered to help “Dad's Games” and she put little paw prints in the newly made Popsicle... like father;like daughter, they went and sold the smaller pops to rodents for a good chunk of change.

Later on in the day, the two con-artists took whatever wasn't sold as surplus and consumed them but kept the sticks. I kept trying to think what were they keeping the sticks for, reselling stolen items is a felony enough, but what were the sticks for?

I found out that the mysterious Mr. Fox had a deal with more rodents in a deeper part of the Urban Jungle, I couldn't get close enough with garnering unwanted attention but I found a pair of stationary binoculars that costed me a quarter but this Fox made things personal and all the money in the world wouldn't effect me at all if it meant nailing Mr. Fox in prison.

A rodent foreman met with Mr. Fox and they both exchanged a deal, handshake and all. Mr. Fox gave all of the Popsicle sticks and sold them as red wood... that's just evil... these rodents have a life to life and you sell them Popsicle sticks?!

At the end of the day, the two sat in the corner of the Urban Jungle's entrance. Sharing laughs, telling jokes, being father and daughter together. I look to the right from the bench I sat to find a van sprayed with what I think is... art(?) pull up to them. I use my ears to listen in on their conversation.

“You doing alright, Nick Wilde?” The Fennic in the driver's seat sneered, “C'mon Sienna, your mum is waiting.”

“Okay Mr. Finnick,” Sienna, with a obvious dip in excited tune, replied to the Fennic in the car.

“I told you to call me Dad...” Fennick mumbled and grumbled unintelligible words that I couldn't make out. I assume this big ear fox didn't make this kit, so it makes Nick Wilde the biological father. Nick Wilde looks to be one year older than me, which makes him probably twenty-three, so Sienna should be at least six if I'm not mistaken.

Sienna turned to Nick and gave him what seemed to be a big hug, for two con-artists they cetainly tug at a stalker's heartstrings. I love kits and cubs a lot more than I like the adult version of kits and cubs. “Goodbye, Dad!”

“I'll see ya soon, Sienna,” Wilde almost seemed sad to give up his daughter to what I assumed is Sienna's stepdad... so Mr. Orange Fox's baby-mama did split it with him and he only gets to see his daughter on the weekends and holidays? I guess it's better than never seeing your little one again... but dammit Nick, you used her to help you con those rodents, elephant, and me! “Give your mum a big ol' kiss from Dad, okay?”

“I will!” Sienna got into the car with her stepdad and buckled up. She started to play with some action figures that were in the step-dad's van.

I made my advance now, slowly crossing the street so I would be there when the van leaves so I can confront Nick Wilde and bring him to justice for most importantly lying to me and using his daughter as leverage in a scam.

This is when Fennick leaned out his window and said something that I assumed was insulting and sped off, leaving poor Wilde alone in the dust. When the dust settled, he was still staring longingly after the van with his daughter and her step-dad. I actually got a decent look at Wilde now, his outfit was very clean for a hack.

“Okay, Sly Orange-Cream Fox,” I hissed threateningly, advancing onto him as soon as he faced me. He didn't flinch, but I could tell I got his attention. I can feel the veins pulsing liquid fire through my body, I am absolutely livid and I want to smash this fox's face into the dirt until either there is no more fox face or there is no more dirt. “Let me be the first to tell you I should kick your lying ass, you... you... liar!”

 

“Uh... okay first,” Wilde held up a finger, his face not changing from it's sneaky super agent wannabe expression. “Sly Orange-Cream Fox? No better insult? I'm offended.”

“Okay, here's one,” I offer, cracking my knuckles, “You low life leech, I should snap your fucking neck!”

“Whoa, whoa, Officer Judy!” Wilde held up his paws defensively in a surrender-like stance. However he gave a toothy smirk at the end of his sentence that sealed the punching deal for me. “I don't know what you think I've done, but I did not do anything that I couldn't do legally. Unlike you and your stalking of me and my daughter.”

“Stalk this, you suit wearing hack!” I punched him in his face, decked him with a good right hook. I have never punched a fox before, but punching Nick Wilde in his stupid face made me feel a lot better about being so stupid enough to fall for his smooth fast talking. 

Wilde and I ended up in more than I wanted. He got punched in the jaw by a bunny, I got a fist off of teeth and hard pointy fox skull. I regretted punching him as soon as I felt how harder his bones are compared to a punching bag. “Owwww....”

“You know, if you were only as strong as you are hot,” Wilde felt his lips to check if they were bleeding, when it wasn't, he lifted his head back up. I had a feeling he was going to say something that would make me wish I hit him in his pride zone.“You would've had a homerun.”

“Maybe I should've hit you with a fucking baseball,” I spat with venom leaking off of my words. I was mostly taken aback by Wilde's bravery and method of annoyance, it sorta seem to get rid of that adrenaline feeling of finallly capturing a smooth criminal for the first time since joining the ZPD. I kinda didn't like loosing that joy. “Sorry I forgot my batter uniform!”

“Shame, you looked so hot in a peacoat: I was wondering what you'd look like in athletic gear” Wilde feigns being hurt, crossing his arms with the most annoying smirk I've ever seen in my twenty-two years of living. “Bunnies are known for their good ass.”

“And you are known for your version of sexual harassment,” I retorted, a vein throbbed on my forehead noticeably. “You got a lot of explaining to do when we get to the ZPD...”

“Or, I can walk away,” Wilde interjected with sarcasm obvious on every syllabus of his words. “There's literally nothing keeping me here other than the gravitational pull of your sexiness.”

“I'll dart you, you orange clockwork dick!” I hurled an insult at him, but he managed to dodge my words like wow. Man I know wearing a peacoat in summer is a bad idea but is it getting hot or am I getting fired up to beat this fox to a bloody pulp until I feel peace at last... which would probably be never. “I have a license to subdue!”

“But I did nothing wrong,” Wilde turned on his hind-paws and started to walk up the street, away from the Urban Jungle. He stuck a paw-psicle in his mouth to help with the small fat lip I gave him. “I have done nothing wrong, officer, unless you want to use the cuffs for existential purposes and then I'd have to deny because I am spoken for.”

“Okay, , you're under arrest!” I took my cuffs from my peacoat's secret pocket and cuffed him to me, because he I won't risk anything. “Either you're coming with me or your stuck with me!”

“Really? For what?” Nick feigned ignorance, until he saw the cuffs on our wrist. “Jeez, Judy, you really need to learn that no means no.”

“Oh I don't know,” I dryly begin, tightening the bond between Wilde and I. “How about selling food without a permit, scamming a business owner a lost of profit over twenty dollars—which falls under grand larceny, transporting undeclared commerce beyond road lines, false advertising, and endangerment of a minor!”

“Permit,” Wilde reached into his suit jacket and pulled out two documents with authentic city council approved stamps. He showed me the permit first, which took little to no time to verify that the Permit was real, but in no way they would give a nobody like Wilde a declare commerce. “Receipt of Declared Commerce.”

No bloody way this fox just outwitted me, I thought of every possibility I thought this fox would be able to contend with! So far, he's shot down two felonies with two sheets of real authentic paper from the City Council themselves, but no way he can get rid of false advertising, child endangerment, and grand larceny!

“I didn't false advertise anything, my child was safe and wrapped accordingly when traveling to Tundra Town, and I didn't steal anything,” Wilde confidentially continued his singular arguments that would hold up in a court of law... damn this fox is hard to crack. “Can you let me go now? I have plans.”

“You told those rodents those sticks were red wood!” I argued, but he simply placed his finished paw-picle stick into my paws and pointed at the stained color of the upper part of the wood.

“I told him, it was red wood, wood that is red,” Wilde gave a toothy smirk. I can't believe this, he's actually beating me in my own game of interrogation... “I simply told what was true and did not say anything that I didn't already promise at the beginning of my deal with Mr. Song, if he failed to ask questions, then it falls on him legally after the transaction and deposit of currency to... lack of a better words... suck it up basically.”

“...you...” I had to unlock ourselves, but I still angrily paced after him. I was at a loss for words, I have never felt so crushed morally in my life, I don't even feel angry... I just feel... disappointed in myself for not doing the necessary homework on him. I don't have anything to fling at him, and everything I did have he deflected it with cunning and fast talking with the evidence to walk the walk while he talks the talk...

“You can't touch me, Hot Stuff, I've been doing this since I was twelve!” Wilde tauntingly said as he glides down across the street, but I followed after him with newfound vigor in my chest and a urge to snap his neck back.

“You're gonna refrain from the comments and counter intuitive remarks, Wilde,” I held my pen threateningly close to breaking the poor thing. I watched him blatantly steal a grape from a vendor after knocking down his newspaper rack and whatnot.

“Sorry, I assumed that you came from a carrot farm,” Wilde guessed, shrugging his shoulders as he continued to walk at a brisk pace for me but relatively normal for him. “Hmm... I'm guessing Bunny Burrow from all the hard work you were willing to go through just to attempt to put me in prison.”

“Natural hard workers, from birth, more than I could ever say about you,” I confirmed for him, Wilde ducked into a alley and I followed him suit. He jumped a fence, I did it twice as fast. “What's your point, Wilde?”

“Well... okay, let me know if this sounds familiar... young wide-eyed little scrap thinks he can make it big in Zootopia, where Predators and Prey live in harmony without the likes of T.A.M.E Collars and N.O.O.S.E where we all stand around a bit pumpkin and sing kumbaya” Wilde started with faked hope filling his voice as it gains a octave as he says the last word until he goes back to his dry annoying voice again. 

He adjusted his... T.A.M.E collar around comfortably as he continued to walk. “Only to find out... oh wait, we don't. It's even worse than staying in the Fox Den, and the Fox Den is full of shell-shocked Apex Civil War of Zootopia Veterans who survived persecution and drinks the pain away with the realization that those old animals of war ruined what peaceful negotiations Predators had with Prey. There's nothing here for you, or for me, especially me.”

“Things can be different if you make them different, Wilde,” He stopped and I walked ahead of him to overtake him.

“Judy... today you've taught me a lesson,” Wilde lid his eyes and raised his eyebrows. “I don't know if I should laugh at you or pity you.”

“You are not a nice person,” I growled out.

“You ARE standing in cement,” Wilde retorted, sticking his hands in his pockets. I looked down to realize I'm ankle deep in wet cement. “Stick to tickets and fines, because you're more of a glorified time waster rather then an actual police officer.”

With that red pill forced down my throat, I was defeated for today. Wilde walked off, his head high and tail fluffy. Whereas I stand in a sorta foreshadowing cement shoes for every cop who thinks the risk is worth the reward, it was not.

“The fuck are you staring at, you beady eyed pancake tail!” I snapped at a group of beaver workers staring and laughing at me and my expense.

{~}

With rubble and cement dust making a path behind my walk of shame home, I made it to the Apartment building. I sighed, trying to breath back the sorrow and humiliation out of my throat. No matter how many times I swallowed, I still had the burning shame in my guy and the heavy stone of sorrow in my windpipe.

I took my key and opened my P.O Box, only to find a single letter congratulating me on quadrupling my quota but no actual reward! Fifth time in a bloody row! I slammed the P.O Box door closed and angrily make my way inside the building. I walk straight past the goat, and went up stairs into my floor.

I passed by my neighbor's house and heard tons of screaming and arguments being heard. Insults thrown left and right, up and down, it only makes me question whether or not these guys are something more than what I think. Then again, I don't care what they are to each other, they are loud to me and I'm NOT in the best mood ever.

I made it into my apartment room and just realize how right... Wilde was. I wanted to make it big in this place, but after a week of busting my ass off for useless envelopes in the trash, it took Wilde one time to make me rethink everything I came here for.

“Oi, you loud boisterous bastards need to shut up for one bloody night!” I couldn't take it anymore and I slammed my fist against their wall, it con-caved but didn't make a hole thankfully. I could for it pay it, but it would be a bitch to do so.

“Jeez bro,” I heard one of them say, “It sounds like you have some troubles.”

I do have some troubles, but the last thing I want to talk about is my feelings to some strangers I literally just met today. 

I meander to my desk and sat down in me chair, resting my head on my hands. I just felt like absolute trash, as appose to how I felt earlier. I felt as if I was really making a difference in the city, I guess not... I thought if I could work hard enough, I would hopefully make it somewhere and help someone who needed it.

I scooted away from my desk and changed into my formal attire, there's gotta be cases Chief Bogo wouldn't mind giving. Even if there was a chance in hell or not if I could solve it, just having something other than parking tickets would greatly help my chances of hopefully not leaving Zootopia as a total failure like Wilde.

Getting to the ZPD on foot near closing hours is easier than I thought...

Entering Chief Bogo's office was easier than water cooler stories tell: I don't see a pitfall, a lever for me to fall into a pitfall, or do I see any slides that would have me fall into a pitfall either. Either way, I'm still in his office while he simply stares into my fucking soul.

“Judy, you know why I assign you to parking duty, right?” Chief Bogo asked, even with his voice soft I can still feel the fear of many men who dared to stand up to Chief Bogo with insubordination. I look at the Chief and gave his question a thought even though I know the answer already. “You're still a rookie, and having someone do the work no one else wants to makes it easier on yourself and others.”

That's not true, he knows he's trying to bullshit me, and best of all he knows that I am no fool. I look to the window, to the wall, and then to the Chief. 

I didn't come here for an exam of my face or my internal demons, I want the cases that are rejected by the others. No more parking duty, because I am not a ticket-girl and I am absolutely tired of it.

“Okay, you win,” Chief Bogo reaches into a crate under his desk and pulls out a couple of files, some full, some aren't. Chief Bogo then places the files back and picks up the entire crate and moves it away from his desk over to the trash bin. 

“All of these are new, freshly updated by the week, we get a lot of cases,” Chief Bogo kicks the trash bin away and places the crate of case files there. “Pick a case, solve the case, and pick another. Don't care how you do it, but the minimal of cases needing to be done is at least one case closed in a week if you want this privilege. Got it?”

“Yes sir,” I said, visibly excited about actually doing some good around Zootopia. “Thank you sir.”

“Yes yes, now get the fuck outta here.”


	3. Dynamic Duo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first case begins with a unexpected turn at the very beginning, a brand new case with a unreliable suspect coming forth with the murder of the victim and two more?
> 
> Also, Judy Hopps experiences another night terror after patching up her wounds from the fight with the Suspect.
> 
> The Suspect is lying, but what is he covering up?

Chapter Three: The Dynamic Duo  
{Case 1} The Fiber of Tertiary 

{~}

Zoodystopia

{~}

I had to leave his office now, but I managed time to pick a case from the Crate of Crime I'll be calling it from now on.

I picked a case out by random and I was impressed when I saw the amount of content in one file, so much information, I had to swipe a empty bag from Lost and Found to insure that the contents were not spilled on the way home. 

I'll return the the bag, some day, I just wanted to dive into the case file as fast as I could and spend another sleepless night going over it until I can remember it perfectly without fracturing the original file and contents so I don't miss anything over my first ever case as a real police officer on her way to becoming my dream job: Detective.

I didn't want to sleep, not that I could or couldn't, I'd prefer to stay awake as much as possible when I'm not burning daylight. I got home without incident and no trouble from the neighbors, they might be out tonight. Good by me, I have no distractions whatsoever.

I peered into the fire and sorted out what was important and what was just fluff, I need the victim's identification, cause of death, and place of death. Chief Bogo wasn't lying when he said these were very new, this case was just put together according to the time of death of the victim.

I moved some pictures out of the way and found the Victim's identification and whatnot, The victim was a female hippopotamus at the age of twenty-five. Name is.... was... Nataly. Young, how sad. The cause of death, according to the coroner, was brain swelling from blunt force trauma and internal stab wounds. The weapon might a fire poker, but no chimney exists in the immediate area. Where did she die, actually?

I dug around the file until I found her final resting photo, she was in what seems to be a house that legally belonged to her. I'm going to have to investigate this further, but I'm not going unarmed so I'll be taking my Service Non-Lethal Tranquilizer Dart and a collapsible baton just in case. I was about to leave before staring at the spray bottle of Fox-Away.

I thought about it, then took it. You never know what might happen in The Urban Jungle part of Zootopia.

{~}

The night was illuminated by a half waning moon but mostly by the pale streetlights that looked as if they weren't changed since the nineteen-eighties but I wasn't concerned about the light here instead of the light there.

The case remains in my peacoat various of secret pockets that range in size, I'm so glad my mother knew how to sew pockets because it is so useful to holster weapons with the sewn in holster at the side flap of the peacoat. I can fit a lot in this coat, lets be frankly honest. 

I tightened up my dark magenta tie before crossing the bridge, the directions of the house were eerily close to the ZPD. If I don't find motive of any sort, I'd say that the killer might have been sending a message of some sort.

I near the house and walk to the front door, I don't bother knocking so I rip away the yellow police tape before trying to open a locked door. I swore under my breath, I have absolutely no idea how to pick a lock nor do I have any materials on how to... maybe I'll wait until tomorrow to get a key to the house.

“You know, breaking and entering is illegal,” It was him again in his suit dark mahogany suit jacket with royal purple sleeves and gold colored suit pockets, a tucked in turquoise blue dress shirt with the first two buttons undone, gray slacks with a black belt, Wilde gave a condescending smirk in the dark. “So what's a Meter-Maid doing alone at night breaking into a police sealed off house?”

“What's it to you?” I retorted, I don't see how useful sarcasm would be against a locked door. I don't need this, at all. “I actually got a fucking case to solve, cause I'm a real police officer, so unless you know the secret powers of locks, get out of here.”

“A lock's keeping you out?” Wilde snorted as he dug into his gold colored pockets and pulled out what seemed to be a glasses cleaning kit, he unzipped the black bag and pulled out a lock picking set that looked to be high quality and made with common metals. “I could open sesame this door, but I wanna know I'm not going to get a arm cuffed to you again.”

“It's not like anyone lives here,” I deduced, looking in the windows of a trashed house. “So no warrant needed, go nuts Wilde.”

“Right, keep a look out will ya?” Wilde started his magic with the locks, I don't know a thing about picking locks and I probably won't learn how to for legal reasons. “The neighborhood watch has killed a lot more predators at night for simply being outside, I guess there's a unspoken curfew...”

“Neighborhood Watch?” I inquired.

“That's what I said,” Wilde responded, still at work with the lock. “Think of an armed militia, a lynch mob, and spark of fire on a sea of gasoline in one gang. They are not Predator Friendly, Not Prey Friendly, Not Anything With a Pulse Friendly.” 

“So they just, attack whoever they want?” I followed up my question.

“Pretty much,” Wilde replied with a shrug.

“And the police?”

“Corrupt, crooked, and rotten more than the oral hygiene of nineteen seventies, and easier to pay off than a cheap hooker,” Wilde snorted, still twisting his tools in the lock. “What about them?”

“That's it,” I spat venom at these anarchists with a innocent sounding name. “This town can officially bite my ass.”

“Hey, we agree on something!” Wilde gave a false toothy smile as he clicked the lock, disengaging the lock and opening it without further trouble. “That should do it.”

“Have you done this before?” I asked with suspicion, narrowing my eyes at Wilde.

“No comment, no statement, no proof,” Wilde gave me that savvy fucking grin that made me grind my teeth together in rage. “The door's unlocked, do you wanna go in or not?”

“What about the house alarm?” I crossed my arms. “Did you cut the power or something?”

“Not that I know of,” Wilde shrugged, “All I did was... 'unlock' this door for my fellow ticket-girl.”

“I'll excuse that sorry mistake of an insult you gave,” I scratched my chin, wondering out loud. “No house alarm?”

“C'mon, out with it,” Wilde prodded me verbally, his eyes widening with curiosity. “What does that mean?”

“You know where the Urban Jungle is, right?” I asked Wilde, sticking my hands in my coat pockets. “The hood of Zootopia.”

“Sure,” Wilde looked at a street sign and gave a thought. “Isn't it a couple blocks away from the Crowsnest?”

“Crowsnest?”

“The Police Department,” Wilde corrected, “It's old slang in the Fox Den for 'police department'.”

“Right,” I shrugged off, “But notice how close it is, the other buildings away from the ZPD looks richer and more modern in design.”

“I noticed,” Wilde stuck his hands in his pockets. “Where are you going with this?”

“From this point on,” I point at the ZPD to the middle class house to the skyscrapers, “All of these blokes have a regular income that doesn't revolve around street crime.”

“Right...” Wilde nodded. “So does this mean...?”

“Well, they're bound to have something valuable and/or value their life,” I spit-balled, opening the door to the sound of emptiness and void. “Where's the house alarm?”

“That's why you asked me...”

“House alarms, made by a specific brand that's popular always resets itself after the initial alarm goes off unless directly cut or manually overridden by the keypad,” I take out my cellphone and turned on the flashlight. “I think this wasn't a mistake, someone wanted this to be a message.”

“What message would that be?” Wilde wondered out loud, “That someone can break into your home and murder you?”

“Possibly, or it was a message to the police,” I squint my eyes to the darkness of the house. “Only one way to find out, you in or out?”

“I'm curious to see what a Meter-maid can do,” Wilde made it very clear we were never going to be friends, and I regret offering him to help. I wish I could drown him in cement and be rid of this fox, but he picked the lock and who knows how else he could help... “Let's go.”

We enter the house to the horrifying smell of death, the ZPD never came in here and only send forensic to collect data. The body is still in the fucking living room decomposing near the fireplace, I felt sick to my stomach seeing the body and it's rotting corpse. I turned to Wilde to gather his read on this and all I saw was a blank nothingness in him, as if the dead scared whatever life and personality he had back into his skull.

“Not even a flinch?” I commented, he turned to me and shrugged. “How much do you see on a daily bases to get used to this kind of shit?”

“Do you even look outside your window at night?” Wilde mentioned with a horrifying lack of emotion in his voice. He stepped over the victim's body and picked up a dusty picture frame of her. “You could witness five killings in one week by the Neighborhood Watch, The Police, and random citizens taking 'justice' into their own hands. Shit happens.”

I disregarded Wilde and continued searching Nataly's house, looking for anything that would have me an idea of what went down. It would be a hell of a lot easier if we had some light going on, perhaps if I can check to see if the breaker is working. The alarm's out, but that doesn't mean the power's out unless our killer cut it himself.

“Oi, Judy,” Wilde called, “I think you won't like what's written on the walls.”

“Don't be fucking ridiculous” I pointed my flashlight onto the walls, it was plain white. “I'm ready to strangle you any day you want, does it have to be today?”

“No, you can't see it,” Wilde shook his head, “It's written in invisible ink.”

“How do you see it!?” I 'calmly' shouted at him. “Make some fucking sense for me here!”

“My eyes are better seeing in the dark,” Wilde pointed out, crossing his arms. “You got a ultra ray app or something? Infrared Camera?”

“No, I just got this phone,” I turned on my phone and swiped towards the app store. I downloaded a bunch of apps that converted my camera into different modes of view, especially the Infrared-droid app. “Okay, I see what you mean. But I can't read it, the camera's terrible.”

“It says, Primary by midnight, Secondary by dawn, Tertiary at midday,” Wilde read out, he looked back at me and blinked. “What's that last one, is it a name?”

“No, in subsequent order it means third,” I clarified, turning around to the dead body.   
“So what does this wall means?” Wilde wondered to me, “I think it's a crappy riddle.”

“It's a riddle, easy to crack riddle.” I checked the time on my phone to find that it's a quarter to nine. “But... timing doesn't make sense... Nataly is already dead, so what is he talking about?”

“Or... and I'm thinking aloud here...” Wilde held up his finger to me. “She's an invitation to this sicko's game.”

“You think this is a game to him?” I replied back, stroking my chin and whiskers as I search online for any reference to the riddle. “So does this mean that he's going to strike at exactly midnight?”

“No, he probably doesn't realize we're here,” Wilde stuck his hand back into his pockets, his ears flickers faintly. “We gotta show him that we're on his tail, then he'll be like a coiled cobra for a while and wait to strike when we're not ready.”

“This isn't much to go on, much less warranting a full media coverage of this making headlines for more reasons to hate thy neighbor,” I turned back on the flash on my phone, looking around for the light switch. “We need more information and less speculation. Can you make yourself resourceful and look for a light switch, a breaker box, anything to turn on the power or light?”

“No promises, but it won't hurt to look,” Wilde left the living room to search upstairs.

I took a look around the living room, it took up most of the house space with on the right hand side being the open entrance to the kitchen and dining area. I retraced my steps to the entrance and looked on the sides for a alarm box of some sort... either digital or manual, something triggered the alarm to go silent or there just wasn't a alarm... which would be horribly unlikely.

I peered up and down the wall to find cracks and holes, which I found very peculiar since the wall Wilde showed me was very clean and tidy. So does this mean a struggle took place, and if so, that means the killer was inside the house before attacking. ]

I took a look at the door hinges and they look just fine, I can't say the same for the lock because it's unreliable since it was picked by the suave idiot Wilde. The doorknob and bolt are swept clean, which means that our killer is knowledgeable on paw prints. 

The Killer either wore gloves and was absolutely genius about dust and such making patterns in those said gloves, or he was careless and later figured out that he needed to swipe the things he touched and clean off whatever he couldn't steal. Not much information, but I got a glimpse of what happened at least at the front door.

I took a couple of steps towards Nataly and examined her head, because the quickest way to incapacitate a hippopotamus is to assault the head on something hard and something sturdy until you stun it enough to get out of range of their killer bite. The back of her head has bruising and long dried blood, I carefully prod at her wounds and feel a shift in skull.

I moved the flashlight towards her jowls and carefully peeled up her lips with my phone, no blood and no fabric in the teeth, so Nataly didn't bite The Killer. The Killer knew exactly what he was doing and it wasn't luck, it was skill, The Killer has done this before.

He was allowed inside, and he attacked Nataly after closing the door and locking it. He smashed her skull into the side of the wall and Nataly probably garnered a concussion and bursted blood vessel but it wouldn't be enough to crack her skull. 

Stun? Yes. 

Kill? No.

I looked to the ground and find drops of blood that looks almost fake, I kneel down onto the hard wooden floor of the living room and dab two of my fingers into the side of the dried pastel blood. It stuck to my fingers and I carefully gave it a whiff.

Instantly, I knew this is not real blood.

Why the effort in trying to fake blood? Nataly is obviously bleeding from the head and any detective worth their salt knows the difference between blood and corn syrup dyed crimson red, I looked further on the floor to find a mat. 

This mat looks out of place.

Very out of place.

I looked under the mat to find nothing, but onto of the mat was droplets of genuine blood that reeked of our victim, Nataly. I don't understand the logic behind leaving fake blood as apposed to the real deal on a mat, but perhaps he was not happy with the bloodshed she created. 

I'm not because blood stains on a mat doesn't help me piece together a fucking story. I stood up and shone my light around the floor, hoping to find anything that gives me a reason why Nataly is near the fireplace and not the front door if the initial assault began there. If she was dragged, movement in the dust would tell me.

Wait a second, dust?

Why is there dust here? 

I thought Nataly was well kept according to her walls, so why clean walls but dirty floors?

So when The Killer struck Nataly, did she fall onto the mat and he dragged her via the mat? No... that wouldn't make much sense. The dust is still here intact other than Wilde's and my footsteps, so what would be the cause of her moving with a busted head?

Or maybe she didn't bust her head, the file said her cause of death was by a fire poker that's not at the crime scene. I would look for this fire poker myself, but Wilde was taking his sweet time with finding anything resembling a light switch or breaker box.

Why is he upstairs?

I shake my head and move across the living room into the room adjacent to the front door, which happened to be the garage. The garage should have something connecting to the power, if not I'm going to wait until morning to continue this investigation because I can't see worth dick whereas Wilde is having the time of his miserably mangy life with vision and whatnot. 

I peered along the walls until I found a orange glowing light switch, I flipped it upwards and I wish I fucking didn't. The lights in the house cracked on with a power surge that even I felt and the lights blinkered on after I noticed the sound of an engine going off.

The garage is plastered with plastic sheets and covered from head to paw with protective material that appears to be similar to sandwich bags, it was a fucking scene out of Dexter I'll tell you because in the rumbling car was a body.

I look to the exhaust pipe to see it's fucking plugged, which means whoever is in this car is going to die unless I pull them out. I ran towards the driver side window and feverishly try to pry the door open, the car door is locked and I can see the smoke building up. I reach into my coat and pull out my collapsible baton and extend it by flicking it to the side.

Once I heard the friction lock, I covered my eyes and smashed the baton onto the window to make a crack. I kept beating on the window until it finally shattered and smoke came pouring out of the cavity I had made. I cleared the windowsill of shards and grab our suicide attempt suspect and pulled him out of the car.

The suspect didn't belong here, and my guess is that he figured out that he couldn't get past us so he tried to off himself by asphyxiation of smog. The suspect was a Jack Rabbit, not the same as bunnies but a hell of a lot tougher than us Bunnies. I guess he just started the car, because once he was out of the car he shoved me into a wall that housed tools and it hurt like hell.

I grab the Jack by the scruff and took a swipe at him with my baton, but he caught my arm and threw me against the car backseat door. 

I still held onto his grip and forcibly smashed his face into the window, which caused the window to crack but not give.

I get a hard elbow to the jaw, knocking me off of him with force, however, I spin off the momentum with a backhanded swipe of my weapon and hit home on the temple.

He stumbled but counted my next attack by kicking the baton out of my hand as soon as I prepared to swing it. 

He grabbed me by the throat and choke-slammed me onto the trunk of the car and launched me off of it so I land neck first into a dresser containing art supplies.

I frantically looked around for something to use against him when I picked up a tube of paint and lobbed it at him, he ducked it.

I roll away and jump on my feet when I heard the click of a gun, which made me freeze.

He had a revolver out, pointing at my head.

I calmly raise my hands to about the same level as my head, I take a step back and smile at him, he was dribbling blood from his nose and eye from the glass cut. I don't know what damage I took, but I smell copper and hear the roar of adrenaline coursing through my veins. I breathed heavily, staring at the barrel of his gun.

“What the hell took you so long?” I calmly asked, he confusingly looked behind him to find Wilde grabbing his wrist and pulling the gun away upwards, away from my direction , and slamming his face into the car before smashing his wrist until he dropped the weapon.

The Jack used his free elbow to jab Wilde in the ribs until he was lose enough to headbutt him with the back of his head. It sent Wilde into the ground, holding his bloody nose tenderly. His T.A.M.E collar gives off a loud whine before shocking the anger out of Wilde.

I stepped in and unleash a flurry of vicious jabs into him, a couple connect while he ducked under a hook I planned and gave me a good right-hand uppercut.

I stumble back but catch myself, I checked my lips for blood and rubbed the crimson away from my fingers. I had enough of this Jack and I'm going to fucking end him by pummeling him to kingdom come.

The Jack and I loosen ourselves, we raised our fists and pranced back and forth, unwilling to give one enough a chance to counter.

The Jack dashed-stepped forward with a left hand quick jab that I parried, I went for his exposed ribs with my free left hand but he knocked my attack away by kicking me away.

I jumped forward and tried to give a flurry of punches, but he slapped all of them down and grabbed me by the head and threw me against the garage door.

I spun out of the way in time for his fist to concave the metal door and catch a sidekick to my ribs, it wasn't like I didn't know how to fight but he was kicking my ass like never before.

I rolled up, there was plenty of space in the garage. I spit blood away from my lips and start to take off my peacoat, I then throw it on top of the car along with my tie. This means absolute war.

I noticed the Jack wasn't wearing a shirt but he was wearing yoga pants, he had bandages on his abdominal region and a tat on his bicep. The Jack Rabbit, shortened down Jack, had a three chevrons without the bottom rocker. That's a sergeant, is he military?

The Jack stepped forward and shot a bullet like kick, I dodged by leaping out of the way. His kick connected with a dresser full of tool, the dresser's collapsed now. I pick myself back up and pull up my badge.

“Officer Judy Hopps, ZPD,” I declared, he didn't looked fazed one bit. I noticed, because he was wearing the same collar Wilde is... his collar beeped yellow at ZPD for a brief second and it disappeared back to green as soon as it appeared. “You're under arrest, submit or I'll swear I'll make you talk through a tube for the rest of your life!”

The Jack said nothing but fell onto his knees and placed his hands behind his head with no interlocked fingers, he held himself up with his chest out, he looked dead in my eye as he loudly shouted these words.

“I want a lawyer!”

{~}

Having my ass beat made me learn two things: I need to brush up on my ass whooping skills, and that the Jack, now named Specialist Sergeant Barnes, is wearing a T.A.M.E collar. Now, I have no fucking clue what a T.A.M.E collar is and no one will tell me what I already know. I got tons of questions to ask him.

Wilde and I are in my house, licking our own wounds and dodging each others' gaze in pity. Neither one of us wanted to strike up a conversation after getting our ass handed to us, I don't know if Wilde's silence is because of shame or what but I know mine is because I should've been able to subdue a suspect even if he's military, post of active.

Just thinking if it was a life or death situation, I would've been killed along with Wilde. 

I had tons of scratches and cuts on my arms, so I took the bottle of alcohol and poured it onto my arms. It stung like a bitch, hissing through my clenched teeth I hold my roll of thin bandages with anger. 

I passed the alcohol to Wilde and he did the onto his abdomen, he got cut when it was found out that Spec Sgt. Barnes was hiding a thin makeshift blade taped to his elbow. He had a lot of shallow gashes on his belly and had to wrap it with plastic sheets because no hospital would serve a predator past midday.

Glorious healthcare system we have, City fucking useless Council

Being left handed, I started to wrap my left arm first so the hardest wouldn't be as hard. I then took boxing tape and taped my arm up to my elbow. I bit the boxing tape roll cut and started on my other arm. I took the thin bandage and wrapped a small layer of my right arm up to my elbow, I repeated the process with the boxing tape.

I turn to Wilde, he was struggling to wrap the bandage around him.

I should have left him, especially after he called me a glorified time waster, and made me feel like shit yesterday. I don't understand what part of me brought him into my home so we can wrap our wounds, I don't care either. I shouldn't be worried about him anyways, I'm not by the way, but as a officer of the law I can't just leave him with gash wounds.

“Okay, stop because you're gonna tear yourself worse,” I couldn't watch him try to keep his torn dress shirt up with his chin as he tried poorly to wrap the bandages around him, so I swiped the bandage from him and snarled at him. “Don't get any ideas, I'm helping you as a Police Officer and that's it. We're not friends and the second I patch you up you're never going to show your face in ZPD again or I'll do you in worse that Jack Rabbit.”

“You sure this isn't a ploy to get me shirtless?” Wilde dryly retorted, “At least dinner is appropriate.”

“I will leave you to bleed out if you don't shut up and take off your shirt,” I demanded, going back into my first aid kid to pull out stitches and a needle. I am used to helping shirtless men and women with first aid as part of professionalism training. 

No, this isn't one of those mucky romance scenes that has a female patching up a injured male and they fall in love. I hate Wilde with every ounce of my being and the face I have a sharp object and a defenseless fox means I could end him right now and not be bothered by it.

I stitch up whatever seemed life threatening and wrapped the rest of his stomach in a thin layer of bandages and boxing tape to keep it still. I stood back and crossed my arms, his slacks still had blood stains on them. I gave him a glare, to which he uninterested glances back to me. I guess he didn't plan on a change of clothes when we stopped by the ZPD to drop Spec SGT. Barnes, so I borrowed a pair of clothes from a wolf that has the similar build to Wilde and a outfit for me.

“What?” Wilde asked dryly, staring back at me without the same look of mischief or suave look he's usually donning. I guess whatever was keeping him in a good mood had gone and died inside of him and he looks just emotionless and flat, I am not worried about him I was just making an observation. “I got nothing else to wear.”

“Actually...”

{~Dream//Judy Hopps~}

The next day came without error, I pulled myself away from my desk and stretched. I didn't feel sleep at all, again, but I'll be fine with a uneventful oil black dream than a dream of that metro canine... I'll be perfectly fine. I looked to the floor to see the blood again, not mine but his, a night of eventful investigation.

I slip on my new outfit I borrowed, a warm gray suit jacket with a sea green-blue collar shirt, jeans and a belt. I sure didn't look as snazzy as my peacoat but I'd settle for this than spaghetti stained clothes. 

I grabbed my dart gun, carrot pen, police badge, and cell phone. I was technically off duty because of the case, and don't need to wear the uniform, but having the police lightweight vest under my suit jacket would make it easier to get people to trust me.

I walk outside the apartment building to find a very unwanted fox in a unbuttoned safari shirt, exposing his torso and bandaged abdomen and somewhat perfectly fitting jeans, his stomach was bandaged up and his fur was unkempt. The T.A.M.E Collar cautiously beeped Yellow, dangerously getting close to the Red. In his fingers was a lit cigarette, he puffed from the fag and expelled the smoke out of him.

“Wilde, what are you doing here?” I demanded, storming down the stairs to confront him. Wilde barely acknowledged my presence other than a shift in position his eye moved. “I told you to never show your face to me again, and you hang out in front of my apartment building?”

He ignored me, focusing on his cigarette and basking in the early dawn's scarce rays and colors of pink and orange steamrolling over the purple black night. It hid the moon and exposed the sun, as young as the sun was, it was still prominent that gave a distant and reality breaking awe to watch the sunrise. I enjoyed the view, but still turned my head back to Wilde with a scowl on my face.

“I didn't tell you something,” said Wilde in a monotone, flat voice. “Mark this in your book of crimes to take me down for while you're at it, but I haven't been shocked by this collar for a while...”

“Good, you're a emotionless leech,” I retorted, he was like sugar in my eyes. No manner how much I blink, they always remain in the uncomfortable position of never leaving when they've overstayed their welcome. “You helped me with the house, thanks, but I don't need you anymore.”

“...as I was saying, I've been reminded of a very disturbing truth that...” puffed Wilde, smoke filled the air that caused the smell of tobacco to burn my nose like a lighter meeting a can of disinfection spray. “Actually, you're not the kind of person to learn by the words of others so it's best if you find out for yourself, how bad it feels.”

“What are you saying?” I tensed up, wondering if this is a threat to my safety. I didn't know how to feel about this situation, but I knew I needed to be away from Wilde as a safe measure. I took a step back as he stood up and flicked his cigarette into the ground and step on it. He faced away from me and stepped down the stairs. “Feel what?”

“Oi! I'm talking to you!” Wilde stuck his hands in his pockets, he turned on his heels and walked down the streets. I aggressively followed him, I'm not going to let him scare me like this without thinking I'm some kind of soft bunny. I unbuttoned my suit jacket and sped after him, a tunnel vision focused solely on Wilde.

I reached to grab his arm until my hand phased through him, his body and the rest of my surroundings dissolved into water that swirled around me. 'Wilde' turned around with a bloodied face, his ears dripping what looked to be deep red blood, his eyes bloodshot and sunken, the smile on his face was carved into a forced smile that gave me the fucking chills.

The water around me turned into a hurricane, Zootopia's Urban Jungle denigrated into a raging cyclone of sea water and clouds. I barely had enough time to register what had just happened before I was engulfed in water completely.

I made the mistake of trying to inhale, the salty and burning water infiltrated my body with unwanted and damaging malice to do harm. My body contracted as I feel myself lose my sense of up and down as I was dunked upside down and twisted without knowing of what is and what isn't going on.

My small stature caused me to get swept away within three seconds, I struggled to keep my head above the water as salt water filled my mouth and nostrils with the burning liquid. I flailed my limbs, hoping to reach the solid ground. I felt paralyzed, reaching hard for the surface of the water only to stick my hand out into the warm sun before the bitter cold wave washed it back and the pain contracted my body into a fetal position.

I'm dreaming this night terror again, but I can't reach the surface to wake myself up. I can't pull my head from the undercurrent of the wave, the storm's too great to fort against, and the cold water burning my insides and constricting me to a convulsing ball of static pain. I can't think properly, I feel my vision start to vignette and darken the circumference of my vision. 

I gave a final scream against the water, the last of my breath went into bubbles that split into abstraction. 

I sink, the water is finally still as I stop fighting to reach the top of the surface. I sunk far down, my vision starting to fade as my body hurts from the inside. The isolation of the dark cold sea gave me no sense of security, only a deathly atmosphere that I don't want but I can't fight it. I won't fight it, I give up.

I finally close my eyes against the water, I let go.

Then I woke up on my floor, the alarm on my phone beeping like crazy, it's time to meet my suspect.

When outside, I noticed that Wilde had pulled a disappearing act on me again last night. 

{~Reality//???~}

I pushed myself away from the infirmary bed and fall onto the hard marble floor, my body ached as I made contact and reassured me I have found sanity... I know this dream isn't real either because I don't belong in a hospital. I was at home, in my bed trying to heal from my damage. This isn't real, this isn't real, this isn't real, this isn't real!

Oh god, make the dream stop.

I tried to pick myself up, only to fall onto my body again. I hyperventilated, breathing heavily as I try to piece together myself I couldn't move. I cough up the water in my system, trying to hard to breath with the chest congestion of the salt water. I claw at my head, make the dream stop make it stop, make it stop god dammit.

I clench my eyes closed tightly, refusing to open them until the chest pain stopped. The the static pain of the T.A.M.E collar didn't affect me as horrible as this dream haunted my mind and darkened my vision. I was a toy in the name of my brain, a slave to the state of my mind, a puppet to the ever calculating organ in my skull.

I kick myself, pushed myself, and punched my chest. I pulled myself to my hand and knees and crawled over to my bed, using it as a crutch to stand back up on my weak legs. I clenched my fist in the fake silky hospital sheets.

I fell, and didn't find a reason to get up, not that I couldn't.

{~Reality//Judy Hopps~}

The interrogation room was a room with a one way window, everyone outside can see everything inside but nobody inside could see anything outside. It gave the illusion of privacy when we all know that is simply a fallacy.

I sit across the Barnes, my suit jacket is unbuttoned for more comfort sitting down. Barnes refused clothes other than his pants and undergarments, he kept his stomach bandaged and his tattoos open and clear message. The time on the wall ticked uncomfortably with it's ominous song of dread.

Barnes and I stared at each other, steadily in our own game of mental fortress. I leaned back in my chair, losing the game of staring contests but the first to break the solid thirty minutes of silence. I had a feeling nothing was going to happen in a few moments, so I decided to let my suspicions ring through the air.

“No one's coming, are they?” I inquired, taking a sip of my hot cup of tea. “You wanted to be sent here in the hearing with me, why?”

“I want to confess,” stated Barnes. “To the murders of Nataly, Indigo, and Joseph.”


	4. Decade Dance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The case seems to escalate when our unreliable suspect reveals more information regarding the riddles and their meaning, while Judy predicts she only has a couple hours before the first victim is murdered by the REAL suspect. With Nick Wilde keeping to his word and staying away from Judy, Judy is all on her own for this chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the support! :)

Chapter Four: Decade Dance

 

{Case 1} The Fiber of Tertiary

{~}

 

Zoodystopia

 

{~}

* * *

 

Confessions, the gold mine for any investigation, but gold can be pyrite as I had no idea where this sudden surge of information came from. Not from the guilt of Specialized Sargent Barnes' mind, I reckoned, because likely he's a trained killer to have a non-commissioned officer rank.

 

I wasn't going to lie, I was taken off guard at this revelation. I had only brought him in for one murder, but instead he's confessing to three... who are the other two victims? I leaned back in my chair to study him further, and the more I studied his face the more my gut told me something was up. I trust my gut more than I the words of the person who slammed me onto a bloody Mercedes.

 

“Whose Indigo and Joseph, Barnes?” I asked, crossing my arms, staring him intently in his face. Barnes had no emotion exposed anywhere, the jack rabbit didn't blink or move his iris away from the direction of my face. If I said it wasn't unnerving, I'd be a filthy liar and I hate liars. “I don't recognize those names.”

 

“That's because you haven't found them yet,” Barnes pulled at the handcuffs on the table, he looked bored now which gave me the impression that either this T.A.M.E Collar really makes the sociopath shine in him or that he's lying and trying mask his emotions. “You're already too late anyways, they've been dead for a while.”

 

“What is the riddle supposed to mean?” I asked, sitting up in my chair. This had no effect on Barnes as he merely toyed with his restraints. “Nataly wasn't dead at midnight, she was dead sometime before eight o-clock.”

 

“It's because she wasn't initially part of the plan,” Barnes uttered, he tapped the table with a finger. I don't believe his body language matches his tone of voice. “I wanted her car to escape from the city and hideout in The Party City or Steel Snow.”

 

I have no idea what the god damn region slang is.

 

“Okay, Barnes,” I lean forward, ready to call him out on his crock of absolute bull. “Where are the bodies?”

 

“There isn't a body,” Barnes raised an eyebrow, tilting his head. “Not yet, I'm confessing in advance.”

 

“Why is that?” I asked.

 

“Because... that hippo wasn't Nataly, not even close to the real victims,” Barnes answered, staring deep into my eyes. I stared back intently, my mind fizzing up in confusion and questions that I have no answers to. “Tick-tick, Officer, tick-tock.”

 

“Barnes,” I leaned in his face threateningly, my eyes throbbed with absolute anger. I was having a hard time trying to refrain from smashing his face into the table and beating the answers out of him, I want the truth and not to play someone's little game. Especially not from a puppet suspect. “Whose paying you to take the fall?”

 

“I plead the fifth and will remain silent until a lawyer is present,” Barnes locked up his psyche now, no way I was getting to him. I looked up and over to the right corner to see that the video camera wasn't recording any further, as if someone stopped it mid-interrogation. Now, that's illegal, as I just provided reasonable doubt on Barnes. “Good day, Officer, and remember to count backwards.”

 

I sat up from the interrogation chair and stormed out of the interrogation room, the surveillance room was empty and the computer was obviously tampered with unprofessionally because the keyboard is hanging off the desk and the mouse was on the floor. I rushed to the computer and tried to see if any video was was salvageable, but I only found the part where he confessed after our thirty minute silent war.

 

My breath shook with frustration, I can feel it, the cold sensation of being mooned over on my very own investigation. I slammed my hand onto the computer desk as I silently and angrily screamed my rage, salty tears managed to infiltrate into my mouth and this is how I deduced I was sobbing out of rage.

 

{~}

* * *

 

0600

 

Six hours until Tertiary Victim is killed.

* * *

 

{~}

 

I'm at home, my wall across from my bed are scribbled in my case notes. I'm trying to get over the sense of betrayal, only cops can get into Interrogation Rooms and their connecting Surveillance Rooms. Now I've given the ZPD the benefit of the doubt, since I don't trust Wilde and his take on the Boys in Blue and after getting myself tossed around like dough, I needed something to fall back but now I know for sure that the ZPD has some rotten eggs.

 

“Breathe... breathe Judicious...” I had a habit on giving myself nicknames whenever I was trying to calm myself down. I held my marker in my left hand and the case files in my right, I'm ambidextrous if I didn't bring that up already. “Okay... think think...”

 

I only had so much time to review what I know before someone forwards this case to the Leftendant and it's marked as closed. I stroked my forehead feverishly, forcing myself to stop crying like a two year old and act like the twenty two year old I am.

 

I made a circle on the wall with the words “Case” inside of it and made three connecting circles to form a sort of web. One was named 'Barnes' on it, the other was named 'Victims', and the final one named 'Connections'. I was brainstorming, and I didn't want to miss any details that could potentially play out to be a red herring in the future.

 

I started with 'Barnes', I made a connecting subsection circle from the host with the words 'At the Scene of the Crime'.

 

Then I connected another subsection circle from 'Barnes' that had the words 'Not The Killer'.

 

I connected the two subsection circles, 'Not the Killer' and 'At the Scene of the Crime' with another circle with the words 'Taking the Fall'.

Then finally made a connecting circle with the words 'Interrogation Video Tampered.'

 

Lastly, I ended his web with 'Being Paid'.

 

Okay, so Barnes is being paid to take the fall for someone. I know it and I can feel it in my gut that Barnes' sudden onslaught of information was somehow staged, there wasn't any emotion that I could tell and that's probably why he had a T.A.M.E Collar on to aid him. His body language, however, did not keep still and he tried to keep himself occupied with his restraints and constant eye contact to shut out his surroundings.

 

It was classic discomfort, the sign of hiding something important, and lying when he confessed to the two other victims.

 

I need proof that Barnes is trying to take the fall.

 

I went back to my web and begun with 'Victims'.

 

I drew three subsection circles and wrote their respective names onto them, now I'm not absolutely sure if Barnes was being completely honest when he said that Nataly wasn't the hippo. Barnes might have been trying to confuse me with his contradictions, which makes sense, he already confessed and the need for a legal defense is obsolete.

 

For Nataly, I added a subsection that read 'Primary', then added a circle with 'Midnight'.

 

For Indigo, I added a subsection that read 'Secondary', then added a circle with 'Dawn'.

 

For Joseph, I added a subsection that read 'Tertiary', then finally added a circle with 'Midday'.

 

I could be absolutely wrong in the order, but it doesn't matter which one was first. It only matters that I still have time to save one of them before it's too late, I remember that I need to count backwards on this list of victims. I give or take that if I need to start at Midday, or noon, I have roughly a day or two to solve this case in time along with the Leftendant closing my case if he gets thinks it's solved.

 

I went to the 'Connections' circle and made a subsection circle with the named 'Crooked Cops?'

 

Then followed that up with a connecting circle named 'which one of us is Dirty?”

 

And Finally 'Where does the money lead?'.

 

The fact that someone wiped the interrogation video makes it obvious that someone with a lot of money is trying to pull the strings backstage, and recalling from what Wilde said last night, some police officers take bribes to do odd-jobs that can 'alleviate' some legal headaches. So if Wilde knows some corrupt cops take jobs, does he know which one takes up on the offers?

 

I cringed thinking of needing Wilde, my pride is too great for that so I'll do the Crooked Blues hunting myself. If I can find the dirty cop who took the job, or allowed someone else to enter the room, I can trace the money to a name or perhaps a point in the right direction.

 

That's the web done, and I suddenly realize my defeating blow: I know absolutely no one in the ZPD, I owe absolutely no favors from anyone, I have no friends in general, and no one is going to reveal that they are a crooked cop to the outstanding, washed behind the ear recruit.

 

I click my carrot pen to sheathe it's pen-tip, my only lead and I'm stuck at a roadblock that I refuse to move. I don't need that insufferable scam artist with the weirdly colored mahogany red, royal purple, and gold color pocket suit jacket. He's already made it clear that we're never going to be friends and I would love nothing to see him behind bars, despite knowing him for a day and a half and getting our asses kicked together.

 

I click my carrot pen again.

 

And again.

 

And again.

 

And again.

 

I turn away from my wall of circles and took a look at my phone, searching through my notifications of text messages from all my neighbors who knew I existed but never spent time with me. I sent a conference text to them giving my thanks for checking up on me, it felt bittersweet to feel acknowledged only because I ended up making history and everyone of them never spoke to me before I had my face in the papers.

* * *

 

{~}

 

0700

 

{~}

* * *

 

The million dollar question is, how do I find myself a dirty cop without in twelve minutes or less? It shouldn't be hard, according to Wilde, but I don't know the streets of The Urban Jungle as much as him and I'd prefer my to do this all on my own.

 

I decided that I'll go undercover and spend at least thirty minutes trying to find any suspicious activities, I went to that cleaning place around the corner where I put my only pair of civilian clothes and got them back.

 

A quick dash into the changing room and I went from FBI to Average Jennifer in at least a couple of seconds, my civilian clothes was a v-neck lavender purple shirt, jeans, and a pair of aviators that I bought with my alarmingly dwindling money.

 

I looked through my pamphlet to learn more about the area I was about to turn into my crooked cop hunting ground. So let me start from the top, Zootopia is more of a city-state than an actual proper city.

The City Council runs legislation, while The Parliament takes care of executive, and finally the Supreme Court takes judicial.

 

The regions in Zootopia are culturally split to fit a 'Council Approved' lifestyle, these regions to name a few are: Tundra Town, Sahara Square, Little Rodentia, and the Jungle District. These regions used to be Neighborhoods until Zootopia became bigger and more populated, and they expanded for growth.

 

I won't go into more detail, because the pamphlet provides no more information, but currently we're in Zootropolis Region. This is the heart of the city-state, as I figured out, and it's the capital of the City-State.

 

I stuffed the pamphlet in my pocket and made my way down the cracked sidewalk of my particular street, Owlens rd. I remember on my first day that I was taunted by some hooligans in the front of my apartment, they seem to be up to no good, and if I can play my cards right and talk the talk, I can possibly see if I can squeeze and barter some information out of them.

 

As I near my apartment building, I see that group of thugs hanging out in the park that's in front of my Apartment. I quickly thought to myself, how can I approach them without sounding like a complete knob-head and fail?

 

I may have an idea.

 

Now I can only hope this group doesn't recognize me, which is improbable because of my excellent ticketing skills, or I'll be compromised and in a world of hurt. I only have one shot at this, so I cannot fuck up now.

 

I near them, my hands in my jeans pocket and slouched over, acting suspicious on purpose. I see a Falcon raise her head and she looked particularly annoyed. I feel my heart beating in my brain now, the group was twelve people who varied in species. Some of them where predators and the most of them were prey, but the thing that got me was they all were wearing T.A.M.E Collars.

 

“Look, Bun-Bun, we already made it clear we don't sell dope anymore,” Groaned the Falcon, I stopped in my tracks to look at them all. All of them had tattoos on their arms, army ranks, and the Falcon was wearing a Sargent insignia so I assumed this bird of prey was the leader. They all were seated on a jungle-gym, the Sargent being on top so I guessed it was organized in pay-grades. “If you need your fix, go to Snow Steel.”

 

“I... I'm not looking... for that...” I stammered, not having my badge, my baton, or even my bulletproof vest made me very anxious about them. I can't take on a single Sargent, what makes me think I'll be able to take on a whole fucking platoon of them?

 

“Well what are you looking for?” The Falcon crossed her left leg over her right leg, leaning back into the bars. “Trouble?”

 

“N-no!” I was certainly going to die. “I'm... in some serious trouble... I need a cop who will help that go away.”

 

“So bun-bun owes someone money, huh?” The Falcon chuckled, along with her platoon of ex-military thugs. “Listen here, cutie, we do charity work not whatever you're implyin'. Now beat it.”

 

The entire platoon busted out laughing, I couldn't tell if my persona was working and The Falcon didn't trust me enough or if they didn't believe my bullshit for a second. I don't blame them either-way, I must sound like a snitch and a trap.

 

I felt my cheeks flush in embarrassment as I turned to walk out of the park and out of their field of view. I'm no smooth talker and I'm just a cop who couldn't lie her way out of a game of Secret Hitler. Perhaps I'm not suitable for this approach and I need someone who is—

 

No, stop it rational thinking! I do not need Wilde and I do not need to beg for his help! I can do this case all on my own, and I'll find a dirty cop one way or another....

 

Hold on...

 

“ _I've been doing this since I was twelve”_

 

Oh... this bunny has a really devious idea.


	5. Wild Card

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Conclusion to the First Case.

Chapter Five: Wild Card

{Case 1} Finale

 

{~}

 

Zoodystopia

 

{~}

 

0710

 

{~}

 

My trusty carrot pen and my notebook were all that I needed to catch this fox off his guard, I don't know where he would be but I had an idea that he would be somewhere hidden in plain sight. I managed to change into my police uniform, minus the vest and hat.

 

I didn't forget to bring my usual, baton, dart gun, and fox away.

 

I did some file searching and found a Profile Bio of Nick Wilde, detailing him down to the very bones. He didn't have a rep worth mentioning, just a ticket for jaywalking. I couldn't find anything that wasn't squeaky clean, but the I searched through his profile once more and found something odd, very peculiar indeed, something I didn't expect from the leech: A Military Document.

 

When Nick Wilde was Sixteen, during the end of The Apex War, he joined the Zootopian Army to fight against The Apex Federation, a rival city-state of Predator Supremacists. There's not much in the military file because it's all classified and inked out, like most military documents, which is a damn shame.

 

I stroked my chin and decided that this information was worthless, and I'll go with my original plan. I was still ahead of the ZPD's Leftendant, thankfully, and Chief Bogo didn't comment on anything when I rushed past him into evidence and checked out a pair binoculars.

 

I'll return it, someday, if I get around to if, but this means I didn't need my vehicle of doom—which is what everyone with a car thinks of it by now. Chief Bogo apparently didn't care about the evidence in the Evidence Lockers which is fine by me, because I didn't need to be down and dirty with my fox hunting now.

 

A couple of minutes have passed and I managed to track him down behind the building of a fast food joint, I was hiding around the corner of the restaurant watching his deal with a polar bear in a waxed and starched suit that was hard pressed, I can smell it.

 

“Right, this should cover the rest of my debt with Mr. Big,” The accent on the fox was unmistakable, Wilde's voice was smooth but the cockney accent made it sound jagged. Wilde was wearing the Hawaiian shirt and jeans I gave him, he kept his shirt unbuttoned and it showed off his bandaged abdominal region and a scar going across his chest in a 'T' shape. “Not a penny extra, not a penny missing.”

 

I looked on to see Wilde, giving a wad of cash to the polar bear. The Polar Bear counted the money and nodded his head with contempt on his face. The Polar Bear didn't speak at all, but shook hands with Wilde and made his exit through the backdoor of the fast food joint that I didn't care to learn the name of.

 

Wilde sighed in relief, his T.A.M.E Collar was beeping a warning Yellow. The fox reached into his Hawaiian shirt breast pocket to pull out a crinkled box of cigarettes, took a fag out of the box, and a lighter from his jeans pocket. Lighting the fag, he leaned against the building and smoked steadily. After a puff, I noticed the T.A.M.E Collar turn back into the safe Green.

 

Just staring at him from around the corner was simply creepy, so I went out of my hiding place to walk up to Wilde with my pen and notebook on the ready. Wilde didn't see me, as he was browsing on his phone with his right hand and smoking with his left hand. I hate the smell of tobacco but I won't not acknowledge it's purposes, I don't smoke it.

 

“Hi! Hullo! Me again!” I greeted him, he only looked up from his phone. Wilde had a scrunched and furrowed eyebrow, my guess is he's confused. I don't blame him, he just paid off his debt to whoever this 'Mr. Big' and now I'm here. “Hi again, Wilde, small world huh?”

 

“Oh, it's Officer Toot-Toot,” Wilde exaggerated a fake giddy voice as he picked himself off the wall and started to make his way around the building. I noticed Sienna's with him in a stroller, playing with race cars and using them as airplanes to crash into one another. Wilde grabbed the handle of the stroller and made his way down the street.

 

“Yeah, it's actually Officer Hopps, you know, Judy Hopps?” I dryly replied, but tried to keep an enthusiastic face on the entire time I followed him. I knew disclosing some information directly in front of his daughter might sting and hit home a little. “I actually have some questions for you about a case!”

 

“What happened, Ticket-Girl?” Wilde retorted with his insult, rolling his eyes with a smirk that I makes me feel every bone in my body grind along with my teeth. I kept following him, damn he has one hell of a walking speed! “Did someone vandalize a guard rail? It wasn't me~”

 

“No, I need to ask you a question!” I frowned and walked in front of Wilde and the stroller and that forced him to stop and answer my question. Wilde stopped the stroller and gave me a look of disapproval, I stood up tall and straight.

 

“Oi, Judy, watch it, you'll upset Sienna!” Wilde exclaimed before backing up the stroller to try and go around me. “I gotta get to work.”

 

“This is important, sir,” I click my carrot pen twice, the trap is set and now all I have to do is place the bait and wait for the fox to slip up and let his incrimination happen naturally. “I think your ten dollars worth of Popsicle sticks can wait for a moment.”

 

“Ha! Ten dollars?” Wilde replied with indignation and hurt pride, he leaned forward and smirked a toothy smile as if he was proving a point. Oh Wilde, you were proving something alright, something very costly. “I make two hundred big ones a day, Sugar-Buns, three hundred sixty-five days a year _since I was twelve_!”

 

Those was the magic words I was hoping for.

 

“And time is money, hop along,” Wilde extended a thumb to the side, telling me to piss off in the most nicest way possible.

 

“Please, Wilde, one question,” I pleaded with him, but secretly hoped he would play the stubborn asshole that he is. “A cop in the ZPD is dirty and I know you're the middle man in these sorts of deals, the one that hooks up Dirty Cops to criminals. I'm not arresting anyone or looking for trouble, all I want to know is the names of those who recently took a job in the last week or so.”

 

“I know a lot of cops,” Wilde replied, waving his hand in a circular motion. I felt my fake smile dissolve into a more truthful scowl. “But unlike those police officers, I know a Meter-Maid whose late on the job because she's destined to be a glorified time waster than a actual cop, so why don't you get back in your little excuse for a vehicle and write some tickets?”

 

“Fine, you wanna play dirty?” I boot the stroller when he was distracted by his little monologue of trying to destroy my self esteem. I flip the notebook to a blank page and smirked at him, standing up straight and tall as I raise my ears up. “Nicholas Wilde, you are under arrest!”

 

“Ha, for what?” Nick Wilde leaned on the handle of the stroller with a smug grin on his face, his ears flickered with suppressed contempt. “Hurting your feelings? That's life, Hot Stuff.”

 

“ _Felony Tax Evasion,_ ” I simply replied with a devilishly smile, I crossed my arms and leaned on my right leg. I gave my own version of the 'Wilde Smug' as I ended the sentence. I watched his face closely, hoping to see that he tries to argue his way out of it. “ _Illegally Joining The Armed Forces._ ”

 

Oh boy, his reaction was PRICELESS!

 

“You said you made two hundred dollars a day, three hundred sixty five days a year, since you were twelve...” I wrote into my notebook, doing the math equation. I looked back up after completing the math equation. “That's one million four hundred sixty thousand, if my math is correct, I mean when I said that those who live in Bunny Burrow tend to be hard workers and that also includes academics!

 

Anyway, according to your tax forms, you reported  _ABSOLUTELY NOTHING_ which is automatically marked as zero. Unfortunately for you, lying on a federal form is a criminal offense, five years jail. And that illegally joining the arm forces, well, I think I'm a nice gal so I'll pretend that I never saw that.”

 

Wilde's eyes exploded in size as his irises shrunk down to pinpricks, his cigarette falls from between his lips as his mouth gapes open slightly, his ears flatten against his skull completely, and his T.A.M.E Collar spiked in color from Safe Green to Dangerous Blinking Orange. I finally caught you, you rat bastard, and I 'm loving every second of it!

 

“Heh, nice try, but there's no proof of me saying that,” Wilde gave a smirk and crossed his arms, I can see his heart beating intensely in his chest. I noticed his T.A.M.E Collar was still blinking a Dangerous Orange as if any moment his Collar would go off. Wilde fumble to get another cigarette out of his cigarette box and even more trouble lighting it, he finally managed to light it before I held up my carrot pen.

 

“ _Two hundred big ones, three hundred sixty-five days a year since I was twelve!_ ” The carrot spoke out of the speakers. I cleared my throat. “Actually, its your word vs mine, and you're never going to see your kid for five long years if you deny this offer.”

 

Wilde froze and I only just now bit my tongue, I went too far bringing his kid into this mess but it finally seemed to get through his skull that he just placed Sienna's life in jeopardy. I suck my air back into my lungs, instantly feeling the numb feeling of regret; I went way too far with this even if I loathe Wilde, I should not have mentioned Sienna.

 

Wilde's eyes glazed over for a moment as he let go of the stroller and quickly walk into an alleyway. I closed the hood on the stroller and dragged the stroller along as I followed him. I kept Sienna away from seeing what the T.A.M.E Collar did to her dad.

  
“ _RRRNG!_ ” Wilde growled out in pain as the T.A.M.E Collar turned red and gave a loud whine, shocking Wilde with painful volts of electricity. Wilde bared his teeth and sucked in air until it was done, leaving him panting for air. I hadn't realized it, but I reached for Wilde but retracted my hand before he noticed.

 

“It's called a hustle, sweetheart,” I buried my regret into the bottle of pent-up emotions that I call my heart. I stand over him, with my arms crossed. Wilde looked up from his panting with a stunned look staining his face. “Now call a babysitter, we got work to do and little time to fuck about any further.”

 

“You're the boss,” Wilde dryly retorted, digging through his jean pockets to pull out a old flip phone and rapidly pushed the buttons. “She'll pick her up at the ZPD in ten minutes, we can drop her off and get this over with.”

 

“Ah, ah,” I held out my hand, my scowl was probably the brightest emotion in the alleyway. “I'm not gonna give this to you, nor am I going to give it to the ZPD as long as you're useful to me. You're stuck with me until I see fit, if I ever do. Do we have a deal?”

 

“You know there's easier ways to get a boyfriend,” Wilde brushed off the dirt from his pants. He put a condescending smirk on his face to combat my beautifully crafted scowl. “All you had to do was flirt a little.”

 

“ _Do we have a deal?_ ” I reinstated my statement, holding out my hand. “What's it gonna be, Wilde Card?”

 

“I don't have a choice,” Wilde sighed, clasping my hand and shaking it. “We got a deal, Judy.”

 

{~} 

 

0800

 

{~}

 

After dropping off Sienna at the police station, Wilde and I waste no time getting my vehicle and driving away from the ZPD. I didn't hear much complaints from Wilde, which confused me since I'm basically holding him legally hostage until I have no use for him anymore. I was quick to make back up recordings onto cassette tapes just in case.

 

“Talk to me, we only got a couple hours before the murders start,” I snapped at him, Wilde looked away from his aesthetic gaze of the morning atmosphere of Zootopia. I glanced at him with a scowl, we're running out of time for the victim and I'm going in circles here. “So we don't have all day, where do we go if we want to see crooked cops who wants jobs.”

 

“I actually have an idea, but I don't think a cutie like you will enjoy it,” Wilde replied, looking out at the scenery and palm trees that passes the vehicle. “It's not too far from here but I'm gonna be the one to tell you that you're gonna have a real bad time if you're a stick-up cop.”

 

“I'll turn a blind eye,” I retorted.

 

Later, we reached the establishment Wilde had directed me to and instantly I can tell that this place would be a DEA Agent's wet dream. The room looked like the 80s had been preserved over the years like a museum of the past. I didn't have to inhale hard to have the scents of various chemicals flooding my lungs.

 

“Bloody hell!” I hacked as Wilde guffawed at me. “What _is_ this place?”

 

“Well, it's popular among us predators because those strong individuals who wore the T.A.M.E Collars suddenly become numb, unaware drones, and they go here to feel that 'spark of life' again,” Wilde explained as we walked towards the front desk. “Those chemicals you're choking on is the creation of Joy Pills, a personal favorite of mine.”

 

“What, have they found a way to synthesize the chemicals in our brains to physical forms?” I asked, still coughing on the chemical smell. Wilde smirked and stuck his hands in his pockets on the way towards the Front Desk. “Is that even physically possible?!”

 

“Deprive a being of something that they miss for too long and they'll try to recreate it,” Wilde stated as he rang the bell on the front desk. “Until you put on this collar and have the absolute mess shocked out of you for even being happy, you'll look for anything to help.”

 

“Ohm...” A Yak meditated behind the counter, his hair was completely overgrown and unruly to the point where they cover his entire face. I was amazed that this guy was working the receptionist, given how popular this place is supposed to be, he's meditating! “Ohm...”

 

“Hello? Hello? Oi!” I called out to the Yak, who stopped mid-ohm to move the hair away from his eyes to look around. I waved at him and he looked at me and Wilde with mild confusion. “Hi, I'm Officer—”

 

“Now I'm gonna hit the pause button right there, man,” The Yak interrupted, giving Wilde and I a big smile before standing up completely. I gave a false smile to hide the angry glare I was about to give. “Nicky, it's been a long time!”

 

“Nah, you're just a dope head who looses track of time, Yak,” Wilde replied dryly, I was about to knock on Wilde for being rude until I heard Yak laugh in response. I decided that I'm best to stay out of this foreign affair exchange. “I was here on Tuesday!”

 

“Right, right, and you, Officer?” Yak looked to me, with a smile so big I can see his gums' gums. “Here for business or pleasure? Because if it's pleasure we got multiple types of emotions in many different forms and just an example of our selection: Joy Pills, Sad Pills, Fear Pills, Disgust Pills, Anger Pills, Contempt Pills, Lust Pills, they also come in injections and pipes to smoke!”

 

“Erm, business,” I replied, not wanting to partake in any consumption of drugs while on duty or at all. “I'm here to stop three murders from taking place, I just need to ask a couple of questions and I'll forget I saw anything.”

 

“I like this cop, this cop is all business and stuff,” Yak laughed giddily, he also sneezed so hard he fell onto the ground. After picking himself back up and wiping his snot with his forearm, he giddily chuckled as he continued. “Have you ever seen Rush Hour, man? I... am _so getting those vibes from you two_!”

 

“I've never seen Rush Hour,” I said nonchalantly.

 

“ _What?!_ ” but the collective and unanimous words from both Wilde and Yak were enough to make me walk away until the two ladies can be done with their girl talk. I wondered around the lobby and took notes inside of my notebook, a favorite hangout spot for predators and prey where they are treated equal.

 

I took a sniff around and found two doors, one behind the Front Desk and one to the side of the Front Desk. I had an idea that one of these rooms are the ones where people can enjoy their emotions in privacy. Having to synthesize emotions into drugs made me feel a certain way but I don't know what that feeling is.

 

I guess it's a mixture of pity and amazement, that predators would artificially induce their own emotions after years of wearing the T.A.M.E Collars. I made a note-to-self to have Wilde fully explain to me what the T.A.M.E Collars are for and why people have to wear it. I stroke my whiskers and my chin, I didn't like this place to be honest.

 

It feels like a brothel for the emotionally dead, having to pay for something as troublesome to me that's a bloody commodity to Predators? Since young predators such as Sienna gets to have a childhood without the collar, this means that Predators actually remember what sadness felt like, what happiness felt like, all the such?

 

“Hey Officer, man, are you alright?” Yak strolled over to me and offered me a box of tissues, which I gladly accepted to wipe the blasted tears out of my face. Wilde only shuffled uncomfortably, he's probably unsure why I'm crying. “It must be the Sad Pills fumes leaking through the kitchen, I apologize.”

 

“No, I've always been a emotional wreck,” I assured with a smile, trying to play off the scene with initiative. “Wilde said that the easiest place to find cops looking for a quick job is here, is this true Yak?”

 

“I'm not under an investigation, right?” Yak cautiously asked, sneezing himself to the ground again. Wilde helped him back up and Yak took a minute to compose himself again. “I got mouths to feed and bills to pay and protest the N.O.O.S.E and T.A.M.E Act by providing a community where all animals are equal and don't have to subjugate to reality!”

 

N.O.O.S.E and T.A.M.E Act?

 

“No, I'm not here to arrest anyone or anything, technically I don't have a warrant to arrest anyone,” I reassured Yak with my truthful talk. “I don't think anything illicit is happening, so I don't have probable cause. I don't have the right to arrest anyone at this point. I just want to find a cop who has taken a job in the last week, and I'll leave.”

 

“Okay, man,” Yak gave a warm smile to both Wilde and I, I gave an uneasy smile back while Wilde didn't give a smile at all. “I trust you, and since Nicky here is my best friend in the whole wide world, you have free access to the establishment for life, man.”

 

“Wow,” I was shocked in the least, he's only just met me and he's given me V.I.P access to the whole establishment for life? Wilde and I shared a glance and we both shrugged, apparently even the Regular Customer Junkie here doesn't know everything about this place. “Do you just give that out willy-dilly?”

 

“Yep!” Yak exclaimed. Wilde sneezed into his elbow, which is irrelevant but I thought I should bring that up. “Everyone's my friend and I got more supply than demand and all these lovely people coming in from the rain of our totalitarian society to the warm embrace of freedom.”

 

“Yak, where do the cops wanting jobs go?” I asked, knowing full damn well that Yak is obviously on Joy Pills. I seen ecstasy the drug in action during my training and how to spot it, but Yak is too self aware to be on any club drugs.

 

“They go into the Pleasure Dome, which I personally don't call it that, I prefer 'Liberty Springs' after my home City-State!” Yak answered, turning around to walk to the large doors behind the Front Desk. “I'm sure you'll love it!”

 

“Thanks a lot, Yak—OOOHHH YOU'RE NAKED!” I exclaimed with a high pitch voice, covering my eyes as fast as I saw the rear end of Yak. I didn't hear a single response from Wilde, but I can tell he's amused by my bashfulness of seeing complete strangers naked! “Bloody Hell's Bells, mate, where are your trousers?!” 

 

“Trousers?” Yak spat into a copper pot before sneezing himself to the ground again. I still held my hands firmly over my eyes and I refuse to put them down until I know for a fact Yak's going to wear something decent. “We're a naturalist club, the Liberty Springs is a place where you can be your true self without the burden of everyday problems including clothes!”

 

I let my hands down as Yak pushed open the double doors to a huge room that I could say was bloody paradise if it wasn't for all the naked people in my way. I guess that makes the whole eye covering thing redundant now, doesn't it, but I was shocked to see how many diverse animals, predators and prey, together  _naked_ in a uncontrolled environment.

 

“There's a regular in the back at the Tiki Bar. He's never undressed, bummer, but he does small jobs for small pay, that Armadillo does, and I heard he's a cop too,” Yak giddily giggled, I gave him a weird look. “He was here a while ago until some Polar Bears came in here with nice suits came in and gave him a letter, he was out of here in seconds and he just came back... I wanna say an hour or two ago.”

 

And bingo was his name-o.

 

“You know, there's no shame in backing out now,” Wilde remarked, giving me a smug smile as usual. “We can just turn around and accept that guy who kicked our asses is the killer, you give me the recordings so I can have my life back, and you return to the ZPD a hero.”

 

“When there's lives on the line, Wilde, yes there is,” I inhaled my dignity and entered the room, trying my hardest to avoid making any sort of contact with the patrons of the Liberty Springs. I darted for the Tiki Bar, which was a trek and a half to go through when I'm trying my hardest to not stare at naked people by keeping my head down.

 

“That's the spirit,” Wilde dryly remarked while following me, he seemed undisturbed by the amount of naked people here, apparently he knows some of the patrons as he made small talk all the way. He briskly paced himself to the Tiki Bar, which was a breeze for him when he walked with his head held high and prideful.

 

Finally, we reached the Armadillo who was wearing a police uniform. I sat down next to the Armadillo and Wilde sat on the opposite end of him, the Armadillo was facing down into his drink. I saw his name tag and gave a warm enthusiastic smile but he looked up with the deadest look I've ever seen.

 

“There's a lot of chairs around here,” The Armadillo, named Duster, had a strange accent, one I didn't recognize. I've only heard this accent in the radio but I didn't know if they were real or not. Wilde looked at me, mouthing a ton of obscenities at Duster. “Ah came here for the solitude, not the company by Top of The Class Meter-Maid and some second hand scam artist.”

 

I ignored his remarks.

 

“Officer Duster, my name is Officer Judy Hopps and this is my confidential informer, Nick Wilde,” I introduced calmly, trying to nail the first impressions with Duster. “We're here to investigate the potential murders of Nataly, Indigo, and Joseph. I would like to ask you a few questions and we'll be on our way.”

 

“Fine, but make it quick Meter-Maid,” Officer Duster took a drink of his liquor, which I assumed was whiskey by the strong and intense smell of the beverage. Wilde lit a cigarette and started to smoke it, using the Tiki Bar's ashtray. “Ah got plans for today.”

 

I double click my carrot pen, the pen is able to connect to my phone wireless, so I don't have to sacrifice my bargaining chip to Wilde's cooperation because everything I've recorded is stored onto my phone. Amazing how technology works now, huh? 

 

Back on track, I record our little conversation so I am not mistaken on what he says.

 

“First off, I want to make it clear that I am not here for trouble and I only want what I came for and that's only information.” I begun, taking out my notebook with a checklist of things to ask him. Wilde was enjoying the free food and tobacco products. “You left an hour or two ago when two Polar Bears came here with a letter for you, right? What was the job you were sent to do?”

 

“Eeyup,” Duster nodded his head, taking another swig of his alcoholic beverage. “Ah was mindin' my own business, thinkin' Ah ought be done with the side jobs for the day when these two big Polar Bears without T.A.M.E Collars approached me with an envelope of a big wad of cash. 

 

Instructions were clear in the letter: Edit the video to where it ends at the suspect saying 'I confess to such and such'. Ah thought it wouldn't be any harm since they was confessin' already, but since you're here Ah can only guess there was more than meets the eye.”

 

“Polar Bears, huh?” I took my carrot pen and click it, writing down the new information into my notepad. I looked over to Wilde to see his take on this subject and apparently he's listening intently now. Perhaps he knows who these Polar Bears are. 

 

“Right, Officer Duster,” I'm asking Duster what I already know, these Polar Bears work for a being named Mr. Big, but hearing confirmation is greater than speculation and assumptions. “These Polar Bears, do you know what gang they belong to or do they work freelance?”

 

“Nope, these guys knew exactly what they were doing and how to get it done professionally,” Duster looked up before finishing the glass of whiskey he had. The naked bob-cat bartender was quick to refill his drink. “Many thanks, Sugar cube—They belong to the whoever pays them, they're basically a diverse group of hired muscle who work for the highest bidder; Mercenaries. 

 

Many of them are ex-military from around the world; Zootopian Commandos, Liberty Springs Green Berets, Apex Federation Spetznaz, and Rabbit Plains Special Forces just to name a few of them. All of them are harden killers and that's what Syndicates want in case they go to war with each other. Some of them get loyal and settle down for a particular syndicate to become part of the family.”

 

“Could you name some of these Crime Syndicates?” I asked, still writing what I deemed to be important information. “And where are they located?”

 

“Well there's quite a lot of them, but Ah'll give you the most well off and dangerous gangs and families in each region and y'all can work your way down the ladder.” Duster leaned upwards and arched his spine back into place. “The Grande, or Big, Family in Snow Steel, The Fat Cat Syndicate in Party City, Willy The Cub and His Gang in The Old Frontier, The Rangers in The Metro, and The Neighborhood Watch in The Urban Jungle.”

 

“Blimey,” I muttered, writing down more of the information. Duster took a swig of his drink while Nick took a puff of smoke from a cigarette. “On the letter, was a name or something or any detail that stuck out as odd and not from around here?”

 

“There was melting ice symbol on a wax seal on that letter, that's Mr. Big's seal,” Duster took a swig of his glass. “Other than that, Ah couldn't tell, y'all can have the envelope and the letter if you want. I don't need it anymore.”

 

Wilde had already taken the envelope and letter, but Duster knew that.

 

“Thank you for your help, Officer Duster,” I stood up and clicked my pen twice so it'll stop recording. Wilde took a last puff from his cigarette and burned it out in the ashtray. I didn't know if Duster was big on handshakes, I wasn't, but Duster tipped his cowboy hat instead. “Take care.”

 

{~}

 

0830

 

{~}

 

We're back in my car and I know exactly where to go: To the clothing repair shop where I left Wilde's and my favorite attire. As much as love wearing my cop uniform, wearing it to Snow Steel may not be the best idea ever.

 

“Miss your suit jacket, Wilde?” I playfully remarked as I parked and exited the car, Wilde followed along with me as we entered the establishment. The door opened with a bell chime, Wilde hung around the front of the store because Predator Patrons weren't allowed in the store at the same time as Prey Patrons.

 

“I really miss it, as much as I love this shirt, it's not a replacement for my lovely jacket,” Wilde replied dryly, crossing his arms as he waited for me to walk to the receptionist. I gave a stout ' _humph_ ', I'm only here because I want my peacoat and such back and Wilde happened to be here.

 

When I reached the register, a female Rhino was there to serve me, and showed her the tickets for my and Wilde's outfits. She rung them up as they were already prepaid and she took the tickets from me, The Rhino went to the right where it seemed like she disappeared into the wall. I waited a few seconds before receiving both my and Wilde's outfits.

 

A quick stop into the female herbivore's changing room and I walked out with my police uniform neatly folded and placed into a customary bag. I was wearing my formal attire again and I felt like I was wrapped in a blanket of formality. 

 

My peacoat felt brand new, the hidden pockets and the hidden holster inside remain. They were reinforced like the golden buttons on the front of the peacoat... that's new because before it was just black. My magenta tie fit nicely and snugly around my neck. The gray-blue slacks fit nicer than ever. In general, I got my money's worth.

 

My phone rang, and I walked back into the changing room for privacy. I looked at the caller I.D and immediately I felt my soul freeze in it's tracks. I'm hot on a lead and I can't afford to have the Leftendant stop me on my tracks. I have no choice by to answer, I can't just ignore it and pretend The Leftendant doesn't bloody exist. 

 

“Officer Hopps speaking,” I greeted, hoping that The Leftendant wasn't a stuck up prick. “How can I help, Leftendant?”

 

“Officer Hopps, why isn't the Solved Nataly Case File on my desk while you run in and out of this station?” The Leftendant demanded, annoyance brewed in his voice like a fine ale. “You have a confession, the case is closed, so would you mind telling me what the hell you are doing?”

 

“Sir, with all due respect, the suspect I arrested is being paid to take the fall for the actual killer who plans to murder three suspects at specific times today. I asked Officer Duster help with this investigation as two Polar Bears approached him and offered him cash to delete the interrogation video.

 

I allowed him to tamper with the interrogation tapes so I can trace the source of the cash flow,” The Duster part was a half truth, I didn't let him wipe the video but it still happened and the only way I can get the Leftendant's support without throwing anyone under the bus is to pretend Duster played a minor roll in the investigation. “I am on a lead as we speak.”

 

“Do you have any substantial proof of the claims you're making?” The Leftendant, with a hushed voice, asked. “Because I don't think Barnes murdered anyone, lab results came back for the supposed body of Nataly and it's a fake body.”

 

“I have one evidence that supports my theory, all I need is time,” I waited for The Leftendant's response until finally he said with his normal tone of voice.

 

“These three victims, you have two days to find the killer and the victims. After those forty-eight hours are over, you're going to close this case and move on,” The Leftendant said with authority in his voice. I exhaled air that I didn't even know I was holding. “Understood?”

 

“Yes sir,”

 

With that, I left the changing room.

 

Wilde came out of the changing room a few seconds later with the happiest I've ever seen the poor emotionless leech. At least his fur is brushed down, he looks cleaner than he did a minute ago and I'm surprised that a dirty liar like him can look spiffy.

 

“You look hot,” Wilde bluntly shot as he walked past me, exiting the shop. I'm starting to regret not having a time limit on how long he's going to work for me, but I get to hold it over his head and still be happy with the fact I out-witted a fox.

 

I left the store too and got in the car with Wilde, I placed my uniform in the trunk and so did Wilde with his previous outfit. The trunk in this little excuse for a car couldn't fit a turtle if I folded it neatly and slammed it in with a mallet, so the fact we managed to put anything in there was surprising.

 

“Okay, Wilde,” I said, “We're racing against the clock here, I need to know exactly how to find these Polar Bears.”

 

“Nataly's car at the house was a Mercedes, right?” Wilde exclaimed, snapping his fingers together. “I remember that the two Polar Bears drive a Mercedes, the same color and model as the one in Nataly's house.”

 

“In Nataly's files... it didn't mention her having any cars whatsoever... the running engine with Barnes inside of it... _The House Alarm Being Turned Off... Police easily paid off... THE RIDDLE!_ ” I turned the engine on and pulled out into the street, gunning for Nataly's house. “Those bastards were in her house when we were there, Nataly isn't dead and Duster is a filthy liar!” 

 

“Whoa! Judy calm down before you make us crash!” Wilde held on for dear life. “You're not making any sense here, what are you saying? We saw the body with our own two eyes, so did the Forensic Team!”

 

“The forensic team were paid off, so was the first responder by the Polar Bears!” I shouted angrily, I lit up my lights and blared the siren as I made a hard right turn. “They fabricated the Nataly thing to throw us in a god damn circle and chase our tails, but they realized their mistake: Barnes is a mercenary, and mercenaries are almost never loyal if you don't pay them!”

 

“Judy, slow down, I can't understand you!” Wilde sternly shouted at Judy, but it was already too late as she sped to a stop in front of Nataly's house. Judy hopped out of the car with her teeth grinding each other. “You're not making any bloody sense, take a breath and say what you have to say calmly.”

 

I turned around and start to explain to Wilde.

 

 

 

_The two Polar Bears work for Mr. Big, they aren't mercenaries but instead Made Men._

 

_This gives them the influence they need to pull strings with the ZPD to fabricate three people and log them into the government database._

 

_However, these people weren't fake but instead kidnapped victims to play the role of these victims. They were given these identities so virtually nothing exists in the Database for Nataly, Indigo, or Joseph until I realized the riddle that Barnes wrote.  
_

_Barnes was hired and told to take the fall for the murders. What the Polar Bears failed to realize is that Mercenaries are ALWAYS paid up front._

 

_This is why they collected your debt money, plus interest. That interest was meant to pay off Barnes, however, when Barnes wasn't paid on the night we went into Nataly's house, he wrote invisible ink on that wall, it was their plan in a quick and seemingly idiotic riddle._

 

_When The Polar Bears discovered him, they locked him in their unmarked Mercedes and tried to kill him via carbon dioxide suffocation._

 

_However, they made another mistake: cutting the power to house alarm. This means you and I were able to catch them off guard._

 

_Instead of paying off Barnes, the money went to Duster wiping the interrogation video instead knowing that I wouldn't accept the easy route out._

 

_My theory is they knew exactly who I was before I even stepped foot onto Zootopia, they fabricated the case to try and honeypot me into their reach. But they didn't account for you being blackmailed by me and going to Duster to learn of their existence._

 

_And now that they know we're onto them, and you were right: they're a cobra waiting to strike now._

 

“And now, they lay a trap for us,” I finished up my theory, not knowing how close or how far from the truth it is but it's my intuition and I intend to stick by it. I reached into my peacoat and pulled out my dart-gun, I cocked it and advanced onto the door. “Lets fall for it.”

 

“One big surprised face, coming up,” Wilde dryly responded as he followed closely behind. “Should I scream like a girl or like a dying giraffe?”

 

Racist.

 

Wilde and I stacked up on Nataly's door, I know for a fact that a trap lays ahead of us so I want to walk right into it with my head held high and my dart-gun aimed for them. I took my carrot pen and doubled clicked it, just in case. Wilde and I move away from the door frame and kick the door in with all of my might, I raise my dart-gun and we move into the darkness without fear.

 

The lights flicker on and we're greeted to a room full of hired thugs holding sub machine guns at us, aiming to blow our brains out at the slightest movement. To each of our sides, Wilde and I get a barrel shoved into our temple. I use my irises to see that the gun they were holding us with were Desert Eagles, I slowly raise my hands to level with my head and so did Wilde.

 

“Officer Duster...” I snarled, as I notice a very familiar Armadillo.

 

“That's Sargent Duster,” Sargent Duster gave me a nasty grin as he held his Winchester rifle aimed right at my heart. Duster gave a tip of his hat, as if he just checkmated me at chess. So it does come around in full circle, everything I know in this case was a red herring, and now that I know that and I willingly walked into their trap: why don't they gun me down now? “Ah managed to meritoriously promoted after making a deal with The City Council, Ah'm taking over the case now Officer Hopps.”

 

“Drop the weapon,” the rough grizzled voice of the Polar Bear demanded, I let the weapon fall out of my left hand and kicked it away from me. I didn't feel anything but anger and frustration at myself for allowing myself to fall for the constant red herrings one after another. Allowing myself to take the word of a Dirty Crooked Cop. “You caused us a lot of trouble trying to meet you, Officer Hopps, Mr. Wilde.”

 

“You wanted us, now you got us,” Wilde growled, his face remaining emotionless but I can tell he was trying to be as furious as me. I gave him a look before I felt the same burning courage in my chest as well, another fire in my stomach was lit. “Well what are you waiting for?! Do me in!”

 

“Do it, shoot me!” I challenged, I don't know if it was the anger, piss, and vinegar coating my words but I felt no fear of death at this situation. I kept my hands up still, but I scowled my signature scowl anyways. “I'm ready to die any day you want!”

 

“Yeah, me too!” Wilde gave his suave smirk, Wilde turned his head slightly to the right, which was the side of his head the Polar Bear had his gun aimed. I kept my eyes on Duster, who cocked his rifle as if it showed power. Wilde faced forward, towards Duster. “Your move, Creep.”

 

“Hey now, at ease Officer Judy,” Sargent Duster asserted his voice at us, walking in front of us with a confident strut. “It ain't personal, partner, it's just the way this world works.”

 

“Oh it's personal, Sargent Duster,” I replied with muffled blood lust rage at him. “It's very personal, I'm going to burn everything you have to the ground when I expose your corruption to the public.”

 

“Ah will be seen as a hero! Officer Judy Hopps, you will be seen as a madman chasing ghosts such as Nataly!” Sargent Duster gave a long maniacal laugh. “Oh god this is so cliché, it's hilarious! The brave police officer who solved the real case of Three Murders Seemingly Unrelated.”

 

“I don't understand, what is the case?!” I shouted, finally done with not knowing what the hell the case actually is. “The case file was fake to begin with, so what the hell is all of this?!”

 

 

“Aw, Ah have to explain the situation to poor whittle Judy,” Duster cackled, he looked back up. I stared furiously into his eyes and he stared confidentially into mine. “Remember when I said this whole thing was a collaboration between The Big Family and me? Well, absolutely true.... Let me start from the beginning.

 

_You see Judy Hoops and Nick Wilde, when I was a recruit like Judy back in the Old Frontier, otherwise known as The Sahara Square. Ah was the Ticket-Boy, always the bunt of the joke among the Deputies and Sheriffs, never destined to be anything better than what Ah was and Ah knew that. Ah worked long hours, days, months, and finally years writing tickets. But I looked at the bright side._

 

_Until one day, Ah stole a case file that the entire department couldn't figure out and solved it all on my own. It felt magical, bringing in the perpetrator of the crime, solving the case all on my own, having to defend myself from his thugs._

 

_They punished me for insubordination, so Ah went to Steel Snow, or Tundra Town, and begged for a meeting with Mr. Big. Ah told him exactly what the problem was and he told he it was going to be taken care of._

 

_After that day, Ah was promoted to Officer after my Sheriffs suffered broken bones._

 

_Then it donned on me, Zootopia isn't a place for the good hearts. Zootopia is for the sinners, like me, and if Ah was going to get anywhere in this world Ah would have to play dirty because playing fairly meant Ah was going to lose._

 

_So Ah transferred to The Urban Jungle, where Ah made a habit of stealing cases from starry eyed recruits and warp clues to nudge them to destruction while Ah solve the case myself and take the credit._

 

_Many of those aforementioned recruits were killed by their own ambition, just like you were going to be, Judy and Nick, because an ambush by The Neighborhood Watch tipped off by a good Samaritan would've filled a strong -willed bunny and a war hero turned scam artist fox with bullets._

 

_That night you showed up with Wilde, Ah commissioned these guys to set up the scene._

 

_But since you're not dead, Judy, Ah'll give you the answer._

 

_The case you really supposed to solve was three murders, all of them seemingly unrelated, except for ONE clue: the time of their deaths connecting all of them together in a triple fashion. Ah bet you didn't know there was a pattern._

 

_Here's the biggest shock you'll get in your life: Ah was the murderer the whole time, and now Ah will find these three victims today and report their deaths. Barnes will get the gas chamber while I get to smell the roses._

 

_Here's another bigger shock: Ah was the murderer of all those cases Ah stole from those recruits, and I got away with it just as Ah did now, someone takes the fall because they were paid to confess for my crimes and they all got the death penalty._

 

_Ah gotta say, Judy, you're pretty smart for such a dumb bunny, finding the flaws in my plan._

 

_Maybe we're not so different, you and Ah._

 

_Except Ah win and you lose._

 

_You're never going to be a real cop._

 

I stifled my angry insults, visibly shaking from the rage coursing through my veins. I know tears are flowing down my face, salty and stinging my eyes. I don't care how I look now, because I know if I even reach for him I'll be nothing by blood pudding at the end. I let out a shaky breath as I continued my staring.

 

“You're a bloody psychopath,” Wilde blinked, visibly disgusted by Duster's revelation. Duster turned to Wilde with smirk on his face, Wilde did not have a smirk on his face. “You went from scumbag dirty cop to an armadillo whose lost his damn mind!”

 

“Maybe,” Sargent Duster cackled once more as he makes his way around the two of us. He leaned his head over out shoulders. I can hear the poison in his words dripping from every syllable. I felt my breathing increase as he spoke. “You know, Ah'm rootin' for y'all. It's always the underdogs who die young.”

 

“Duster... I will destroy you and everything you have worked for in your entire life,” I growled through my tears. “You will regret ever opening your mouth this morning, I will shut you up for good.”

 

“Ah would love to see ya try, Hopscotch,” Duster replied, moving away from us and leaving the building. The sound of a car turning on and pulling away was the last thing I heard before Wilde was cracked over the head with the pistol. I catch a pistol in the back of the head too, but the fall must have knocked me out because I didn't feel the ground at all.

 

{~}

 

0120

 

Two days later, unconscious.

 

{~}

 

I woke up with a dopey head and my arms tied behind my back, a black sack over my head, my feet bound together. I felt the floor moving and heard the purr of an engine, we were in a vehicle but since move freely I deduced I wasn't in the trunk and the car was a limousine. Using my abdominal strength, I sit myself upright and try to get rid of the constant siren in my ears.

 

It only took a few minutes, I don't know how many minutes, but a couple of them, before the door opened in front of me. The cold wind whipped me in the face. I felt the rough grip of The Polar Bear grab me by my arm and toss me out of the car and into the snow. The air time managed to fly the sack off of my head, exposing my face into the biting cold.

 

I picked myself up to see Wilde thrown into the snow as well, landing on his back instead of his face. Wilde was conscious when he hit the black soot-stained snow, he blinked the snow out of his eyes when he looked at me.

 

“Well, well, I must be in heaven,” Wilde gave a condescending grin as he sat himself up, I rolled my eyes at him as I tried to struggle in my bindings. They were zip-ties, great, the only thing worse than zip-ties are having your arms surgically attached behind your back. “Because you look like an angel.”

 

“You're not on the list, be gone demon,” I retorted, still trying to wrestle my wrists around to create some space between flesh and plastic. I groaned as all I was doing was creating a uncomfortable position for my arms to be in, luckily it didn't seem like they were going to execute us on the side of the road and the two Polar Bears picked us up and started to carry us using pure might.

 

“Can you smell the charcoal in the air?” Wilde inhaled deeply and exhaled, I barely inhaled in fear of turning my lungs into a rotting pod of tar. “We're in the industrial zones of Zootopia, Snow Steel, the tundra wasteland where if you're not going to be killed by Mr. Big then by the pack of feral arctic wolves without T.A.M.E Collars.”

 

They carried us to a huge fence gate, they input a series of numbers and the gate opened. They carried us further up the MASSIVE driveway and to the front door. They open the door and place us down, using their razor sharp claws to cut the binds on our feet.

 

“Walk,” the rough voiced Polar Bears demanded simultaneously.

 

“Where to?” Wilde quipped dryly, “This is a monopoly board, mate.”

 

I heard the cocking of their desert eagles and I shot Wilde a look that said 'if they kill us, I'm going to murder you' and apparently Wilde got the idea and took some steps into the mansion and so did I. I can still see my breath even when inside, whoever Mr. Big is must be very very fluffy.

 

The mansion was massive, dead, and cold. The scent of dread loomed over us as our paws tapped on the marble floor, which is equivalent to stepping on ice because it felt like no one has ever stepped on the ground here. The walls were lavishly decorated with swords, muskets, coat of arms, self-portraits of rodents ranging in age.

 

“Right,” The Polar Bears demanded and we were inside of a elevator. Mr. Big has a bloody elevator in his house, as if I didn't believe him when I thought the mansion was enough to flaunt how much cash you have.

 

The Polar Bears pressed a button and slowly the doors were closed. We were uncomfortable close together, Wilde and I were pressed together between to big walls of muscle and fat. Wilde smells like freshly printed paper and wet dog.

 

Finally, the elevator ride was over and we both were shoved outside of the Elevator, the corridor in front of us was made entirely out of concrete with sharp icicles hanging above us. I gulped and I noticed the blinking yellow light on Wilde's collar.

 

“Walk,” The demand was met with another shove. “Or we knock little bunny and fox out and carry you ourselves.”

 

“This is a god damn torture room, isn't it?” I asked Wilde as we walked further with a mostly slowed pace. We walked past a window with a chair with leather straps attached to it. Blood stains are dried on the ground as if they were simply decorations. “I seriously think this is were we die.”

 

“Glad to know we're on the same page, Judy,” Wilde retorted, focusing on walking straight. I walked straight too, praying to god they don't tell us to turn into any one of those rooms. When they don't, I only could think that they want us to meet Mr. Big before anything else happens. “We haven't done anything wrong to Mr. Big, so we can breathe easy.”

 

We reached a black door that's padded with black cushions, red stitches on the cushions, and gold handles. The Polar Bears knocked on the door three times before a bell was rung, The Polar Bears then open the door and dragged us to a huge desk that easily can consume my apartment. Behind the excessively large desk was a huge leather chair.

 

The Polar Bears carefully turned the large leather chair to reveal another leather chair that's rodent sized. The Polar Bears slowly turned this chair to reveal a old mouse in a chair, wearing a waxed and starched hard pressed tuxedo with a red bow-tie.

 

“This is Mr. Big?” I was... surprised for the very least, but Wilde seemed anxious about the very presence of the mouse. Wilde turned to me with his face emotionless but visibly pale, nodding his head vigorously. “Good Morning Mr. Big, I am—oh.”

 

Mr. Big ignored me as he raised a tiny paw with a diamond ring on it, I presumed it was a family heirloom? Wilde was quick on his paws to give the ring a gentle kiss, and I followed suit. I don't watch movies, so I have no idea what any of the customs are when it comes to The Mafia.

 

“We can talk now, but I'm going to be the first to tell you that Mr. Big is blind and he's quick to issue out orders if he feels insulted,” Wilde explained, “We can't speak to the Godfather without kissing his family heirloom, get used to it.”

 

“Nick Wilde,” Mr. Big breathed out, his voice was seemingly failing him too. How old is Mr. Big if his voice is beginning to die without even speaking. “It is good to see you again, especially under these politically challenged climate.”

 

“It's a pleasure, Mr. Big,” Wilde responded quickly.

 

“Aren't you going to introduce me to your girlfriend, Mr. Wilde?” Mr. Big asked, sighing heavily against his oxygen mask. I nearly gagged out loud to Mr. Big's assumption. Wilde gave a toothy smile to me as he answered.

 

“Mr. Big, this is Judy Hopps,” Wilde gave me a mischievous face as he added the last bit to his statement. I grind my teeth together in an attempt to refrain myself from putting my rabbit foot in his family jewels. “My beautiful girlfriend.”

 

“ _WE ARE NOT SIGNIFICANT OTHERS, WILDE,_ ” I firmly asserted, glaring daggers at Wilde with the thought of placing him in one of those chairs with the leather straps and seeing what tools of advanced interrogations Mr. Big has laying around.

 

“Don't worry, Ms. Hopps, I know Mr. Wilde is saving his heart for the mother of his child,” Mr. Big gave out a throaty laugh, a small smile raising his wrinkles on his face. I looked at Wilde and he held up his right hand with a gold ring on it. “I find it a shame when a family can't stay together, family is everything, Ms. Hopps.”

 

I didn't reply to Mr. Big's statement, hoping to dodge the subject.

 

“Anyways, I'm sure you have a lot of question on why I have you both here,” Mr. Big sucked in some air before continuing his next few words carefully. “I am aware of a certain bent out of shape officer has been working with us lately but I want you to know that our agendas are completely different.”

 

He meant Sargent Duster, didn't he?

 

“I brought you both here to ask for your services, not to do anything illegal but the right thing to do,” Mr. Big turned his chair to the left, he was corrected by one of the Polar Bears, and when we turned to the right as well a flat screen was being lowered from the ceiling. “Not only has he solved your case, Ms. Hopps, but he is also holding a press conference with the promise of eradication of crime syndicates and my family business.”

 

I turned my attention to the news channel and Sargent Duster is listing Wilde and I as casualties to the killer when our bodies are left in the arctic by the killer. So the public thinks we're dead, great, I can't imagine a better celebration for car drivers at my death. The Polar Bears cut our hand bindings finally, my wrists were starting to mutate.

 

“'I'm no liar, I have done questionable things in the past a long time ago just as my father before me, but I worked hard to make my business clean of any illegal activities that might jeopardize my family's future,” A Polar Bear turned on the television and changed the channel onto the news. “As young as I seem, I'm not going to live forever and I want my son to carry on my family business, but Sargent Duster has the possibility to undermine everything I have done for my family.”

 

“What exactly do you want done, Mr. Big?” I asked, turning to face him. “We're too late to save any of the victims, they're dead.”

 

“I want you knock him off his high horse, no offense meaning, any means necessary,” Mr. Big breathed and sucked in air. “I know you're an officer of the law, Ms. Hopps. Either he goes behind bars or he's never seen again, I cannot have a murderous psychopath risk my family's life as much as you want him in your precedent risking the lives of recruits and fellow officers.”

 

“You're absolutely right, Mr. Big, he cannot be allowed to put any more lives in risk especially when he's a serial cop killer.” I tapped my foot on the ground while Wilde pondered inside of his own head for ideas I assume, but I found my glowing idea. “My pen!”

 

“I have the pen connected to my phone, which saves everything I record onto my device,” I reached into my peacoat and pulled out my orange trusty blackmailer. “If I can somehow get the recording to the mass public, he'll be hunted by the entire ZPD!”

 

“You recorded him?” Wilde inquired as he gave a smirk, Wilde stood up taller to pop his spine. I looked at him as he continued. “That's brilliant, now all we have to do is make sure Duster doesn't try to escape into hiding.”

 

“So we'll corner him somewhere,” I answered, looking into Wilde's face as I continued. Clawhauser is always on his phone, could he have access to social media and whatnot? “I can send Clawhauser a copy of the recording and tell him to blast it on every news media on the planet while we do the muscle work.”

 

“Duster is always armed, and your dart gun has no chance against his armor exterior,” Finally said Mr. Big. Wild and I were listening intently. “You're gonna need a weapon, both of you, just in case the cowboy tries to create some static.”

 

“Only if necessary,” I confirmed as two penguins arrive into the room with black-purple boxes. Wilde and I accepted the boxes and opens the boxes to find two factory new Beretta Nanos, with the magazines separated. I took the magazine and fed the pistol the ammunition, I cocked the Beretta Nano and flipped the safety on. “Thank you, Mr. Big.”

 

“Good luck, I hope you ruin him for turning on my family,” I slipped the Nano into the concealed holster in my peacoat while Wilde was given a shoulder strap holster to go underneath his suit jacket. Armed and dangerous, Wilde and I weren't planing to kill Duster no matter how appeasing that sounded.

 

{~}

 

0200

 

{~}

 

The baby morning brought nothing but a brewing storm, summer rain. How funny we find Sargent Duster in Nataly's house, where he was cleaning up any evidence of him ever being in the place. Wilde and I inject ourselves into the house, the door was gone because I already boot it down yesterday.

 

“Duster!” I felt my toes and fingers go cold in anger, or that may be just the rain. Duster raised his head and turned around on his feet with a surprised and angry look on his face.“Your murderous career is over, submit or I'll show you how this world _really_ works!”

 

Duster grabbed a vase and lobbed it at us, which we ducked, and he took off through garage that was already open. Wilde and I took bolted after him, wet splashes of puddles sprayed everywhere as we raced through the, the only illumination was the streetlights and they needed to be changed thirty years ago.

 

We chased him from Nataly's house deep into the Park, where I never dared to roam until now. We chased him until I realized he was leading us to an ambush like he tried to do two days ago.

 

“Actually, Judy and Nick, you're under arrest,” Duster pulled out his magnum, which led Wilde and I to draw our new weapons. From behind the park were at least half a dozen corrupt police officers under his influence and payroll holding their own pistols and some holding Winchester Rifles. “For three counts of first degree murder.”

 

“You're not going to flip this around on us, Duster,” Wilde growled as he flipped his safety off, I flipped the safety of mine off. Wilde held his pistol in one hand, until slowly moving to a more professional stance. “And for the rest of you schmucks, bring it on.”

 

“Don't do this, Duster,” I tried to plead with him. “You're risking everyone's life here!”

 

“You're absolutely right, Ah am,” Duster grinned as he pulled the hammer back on his weapon. While he was talking, I quickly started to steady my breathing as I used my eyes to single out my targets. “Now let us commence our Decade Dance, eh?”

 

Time felt frozen for me, I could almost see the individual raindrops in my peripheral vision. In the same time it would take to blink, only fractions of five seconds, I fired the first shot into the leftmost officer, then started snapping from dirty cop to dirty cop in a rapid succession, one bullet in their shoulders.

 

My perception of time was resumed when the final dirty cop fell down, they all screamed out in agonizing pain and squirmed on the ground with one bullet to spare for Duster.

 

“H-how?!” Duster took a step back, his hand trembled along with his gun. I blew the smoke from the barrel of my gun and pointed it back at Duster, who was quickly taking steps back and stammering for words. “T-that was impossible!”

 

“Yeah, please tell me how the hell you did that Matrix shit?” Wilde turned to give me a look of shock. I had no clue what he meant by 'Matrix' but I assume it's another movie I haven't or will never watch. “Do you also know Kung-Fu?

 

“Did you read the papers?” I dryly asked, advancing onto Duster. I didn't let my smug tone take my scowl away. “I remember a certain paragraph declaring how I was, and I quote, ' _The most accurate marksmen this Drill Instructor has seen in fifteen years.'_. _”_

 

“Then again,” I continued advancing on him, Wilde following behind me with his gun still pointing at the suspect. Duster's breath was shaky in the rain, as he almost trips on a see-saw. “Who reads the newspaper anymore?”

 

“And the Award for The Most Cliché and Terrible One-Liner goes to... Judy Hopps,” Wilde commented, “You really need to watch more movies.”

 

“I thought that was just fine!” I argued, raising an eyebrow. “What would you have said?”

 

“I would have said 'Breaking News, Duster, I got an crack-shot eye for the fine print',” Wilde rebutted, “At least that way you don't insult people who actually read the newspaper and still sound heroic.”

 

“That was _rubbish_!” I turned my head to Wilde this time. “I'm sticking with my original statement.”

 

“You're the cop,” Wilde remarked.

 

Duster turned on his feet and raced away from us, which we were quick to chase after him. Without an ambush and without a vehicle to his name, there's no chance of him getting away from us now. We chased him across the park and onto the intersection, where he would have no way to fire at us without risking the lives of innocent civilians.

 

Racing across the intersection, Duster found a car with a person inside of it and pulled him out of it. Duster hopped into the car and sped off down the road. I looked to my side to see Wilde doing the same thing but instead with a sports car, I pulled my badge.

 

“ZPD, we're commandeering this vehicle,” Wilde and I entered the black-cherry colored, glossy sports car and I slammed my foot onto the acceleration and gave chase to Duster. The purr of the fine tuned engine and racing brand tires made me think this car belonged to a Drag Racer, that works in our favor tremendously.

 

The song _Sexualizer_ blared through the speakers of the car. I saw Duster's stolen car make a hard left turn, his tires screeched against the pavement. I pulled the hand break and swerved left, the sports car's breaking system was top notch and definitely saved us from colliding with on coming traffic.

 

I increased our speed steadily, dodging and weaving my way through traffic. Duster pulled off of the lane and into oncoming traffic, trying to psyche me out but I stayed on him. We were half a football field away from his car, so I can't afford to slow down now or I'll lose him.

 

Duster swerved right to dodge a truck blaring their horns, I managed to fit right underneath it before the truck lost control and fell onto it's side, scrapping the road and causing collisions with other cars as they could not get out of the way.

 

“Holy shit, that was awesome!” Wilde's collar shocked the excitement out of him, but for the first time I heard something with an enthusiastic tone from the usual monotone Nick Wilde. “My statement still stands... ow...”

 

“We gotta get him off the road, pronto!” I navigated through the gauntlet of incoming cars, after the first wave I briefly duck into the correct lane to gain speed. I turned to my left and waited for my moment.

 

“Judy, look alive!”

 

I looked in front of us to see a traffic cop diving out of the way of our car, we tore right through a police checkpoint along with Duster. This kicked the hornet's nest because it took seconds for police sirens to blare and lights to glint off of my rear-view mirror. It was hard enough to see because of the rain, strobe lights is the last thing we need.

 

“Ah bloody hell,” I gripped the steering wheel tightly, my knuckles turning white. I missed my chance to ram into Duster, and now it's a three way chase. “I'm already gonna lose my badge, might as well kick it in Duster's face!”

 

The clouds are dark and the air is hot, the bass kick of the music making me drunk with the chase. My vision was a funnel now, Duster's got to get off the street before he causes another domino effect road collisions.

 

In front of us was a sky-scrapper glass wall, and either we turn or we play chicken with a building. Before I can even make a decision, Duster tried to ram into my side, but I managed to brake and stop quick enough to dodge him and leaving him out of control.

 

 _Here's my chance!_ I slammed the acceleration down to the metal and T-Boned him into the side of the sky-scrapper and into the building. Duster managed to bail out of the car and curl into a protective sphere as he dodged a potentially fatal collision with us.

 

The most spaciest lobby I had ever seen had enough room for him to roll twice before scrapping to a stop. I came to a stop and hopped outside of the sports car along with Wilde to race after a limping Duster into the stairwell.

 

We ducked as a magnum was shot above us, covering him to make up for lost time. Wilde returned fire at Duster, three shots missed but the fifth bang of Wilde's gun caused Duster to scream in pain. It caught him in the leg, which caused him to duck into a door.

 

We ran up the three flights of stairs to the floor Duster was on, booted down the door, and raced across the office complex only to find the limping armadillo firing more magnum rounds at us, Wilde and I ducked behind cover and heard the closing elevator doors. The LED on the elevator read “ROOFTOP”

 

Wilde and I ran out the Fire Escape that was next to the elevator to meet a metal balcony with holes down the middle for metal ladders. Wilde and I were already slowly out of breath, and I seriously wish I didn't skip cardio this week because I'm having serious trouble keeping air in my lungs.

 

“Ladders,” I groaned as I holstered my gun in my peacoat stared up the long helix of steel. I started my decent up. “C'mon, you lot.”

 

“I'll try to not look at your ass,” Wilde remarked as he begun climbing after me. “No promises.”

 

“I'll try to not kick you the fuck off,” I warned, climbing slightly faster to put distance between me and Wilde. “No promises.”

 

It took a minute.

 

Finally, we made it to the roof and I'm red in the face while Wilde was trying his hardest to not have a heart attack. Looks as if both of us are really running on adrenaline and now that fuel was running on fumes, I'm feeling the burn.

 

The elevator door opened and Duster came out with a bandaged leg, blood is seeping through but he still walked just fine. Duster limped his way to the edge of the building, Wilde and I walking behind him, all of us were panting hard.

 

None of us had the energy left to do anything else, Duster had no one to save him now and we're thousands of kilometers in the air. Duster, Wilde, and I stared out in the city-state and all of it's regions. The neon lights of The Party City, the smoke of Snow Steel, and sky-scrappers of The Urban Jungle stood out the most to me.

 

“Am'm so close,” Duster finally broke the silence, breaking my attention from the city to him instead. Wilde wiped rain from his face. “Ah had just taken my first steps as one of the big dogs, Ah was going to create an empire.”

 

“An empire built on those you killed and cheated, using corrupt cops to do your bidding under the nose of out Chief and Leftendant?” I retorted. “No, you can cheat through school but you'll learn nothing.”

 

“What have _you_ learned?” Duster growled, he still hasn't turned around. “You're delusional, like all the other yous Ah seen in my lifetime, led by an imaginary drive to make a difference in a place that's brewing in sin.”

 

“Change happens when you force it to,” I replied, I set the trap and now all I had to do was lay down the bait.“Like now, I win and you lost.”

 

“You haven't won anything,” Duster smirked, “Anything you tell the cops will be against my word, the word of a rookie vs. a seasoned Sargent, my word against yours.”

 

“Oh Duster...” I snapped my fingers and every television in the city-state was blaring with Breaking News. The electronic billboards with the news channels clambered to this story being sent in by a leak from the ZPD. “We aren't different at all, except I tend to prepare for the worst unlike you.”

 

“ _Here's the biggest shock you'll get in your life: Ah was the murderer the whole time, and now Ah will find these three victims today and report their deaths. Barnes will get the gas chamber while I get to smell the roses._

 

_Here's another bigger shock: Ah was the murderer of all those cases Ah stole from those recruits, and I got away with it just as Ah did now, someone takes the fall because they were paid to confess for my crimes and they all got the death penalty._

 

_Ah gotta say, Judy, you're pretty smart for such a dumb bunny, finding the flaws in my plan._

 

_Maybe we're not so different, you and Ah._

 

_Except Ah win and you lose._

 

 _You're never going to be a real cop._ ”

 

“I was recording the whole time, so... actually: it's your word against yours,” I pulled out handcuffs and my badge from my back pocket. “You're under arrest for an uncounted amounts of murder in the first degree, conspiracy to commit murder, and lying under court oath. Sadly, all of them are punishable offenses.”

 

“Don't take it personally, Duster,” Wilde gave a smirk. “It's called a hustle, sweetheart, you should be familiar with it.”

 

Duster scoffed and turned around.

 

“Well played,” Duster still had his magnum in his hand, he pulled he hammer back and lifted his arm. “I can already see where this is going, so I'll spare you both the pleasure.”

 

“No no no—wait!” I reached for Duster.

 

_Bang._

 

Duster falls off of the building as N.O.O.S.E Members flooded the rooftop of the sky-scrapper, helicopters lit a spotlight on the two of us. Wilde and I stared down below, the falling body of Duster landed on a police car down below.

 

Any feeling I had about it was shoved down into the bottle I call a heart.

 

Wilde and I held our hands above our heads, knowing full well that N.O.O.S.E wasn't here to chat with their automatic weapons and red dots being trained on our heads. Good thing I pulled out my badge when I did, because they lowered their weapons.

 

“Don't shoot, I'm a cop and this guy here is my Confidential Informant,” I declared loudly. “Here's my badge!”

 

“We still need to detain you two for safety measures as we remove you from the building,” A N.O.O.S.E Officer replied.

 

“Getting shot at, high speed chases, lies, confusion, being kidnapped, a bloke killing himself in front of us, and now coming face to face with an actual N.O.O.S.E Officer all in the matter of three days?” Wilde dryly remarked as we both were placed in handcuffs. “I could get used to this detective work, Judy, good work.”

 

“Whatever,” I scowled at him. “This doesn't make us friends.”

 

“Ditto,” Wilde gave a smirk.


End file.
